Bengaluru: After prolonged parleys, the Congress-Janata Dal (S) coalition government in the state announced the details of the portfolio sharing on Friday, June 1. After days of hectic negotiations, the Congress and the JD(S) reached a consensus on the portfolio sharing formula.
At a joint party press meet called by Chief Minister Kumaraswamy here, K C Venugopal revealed the much awaited details of the cabinet power sharing and said that the Congress party would be heading 22 portfolios whereas JDS will have 12 portfolios in the new cabinet.
It seems that JDS has muscled its way into the coalition government by gaining the finance portfolio. The party has successfully negotiated to retain the plum positions of excise and PWD. It will also head the portfolios of education, animal husbandry, fisheries, horticulture, sericulture, power, cooperatives, tourism among others, Venugopal informed.
The Congress on the other hand, has received other important portfolios of home ministry, health, forest, agriculture, irrigation and water resources, and revenue. Congress will have its ministers heading the Bengaluru city development, muzrai, food and civil supplies, Science and technology IT/BT, law and parliamentary affairs, housing, youth and sports, ports and shipping, mines and geology, and rural development portfolios.
Congress-JDS alliance Government has mutually agreed to share ministerial portfolios in the following manner. pic.twitter.com/AThjcCmJi4
— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) June 1, 2018
Speaking to reporters after the press meet, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said that there were no differences of opinion in the portfolio sharing process. “We have made these decisions after thorough discussion with Congress President Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders”, he said.
Kumaraswamy also informed that he was ready to expand the government on Sunday, June 3 but the governor had asked him to postpone the day to June 6 as the latter would be away in Delhi. “The Governor (Vajubhia Vala) has fixed 2 p.m. on June 6 for the swearing-in of all the 32 Cabinet Ministers. The venue for the ceremony will be decided soon,” Kumaraswamy told the media.