Karnataka cabinet expansion: Geetha, Revanna, Thimmapur are new ministers

Bengaluru, Sept 1: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday inducted three new faces into his council of ministers to fill the vacant slots months ahead of the Assembly polls in Karnataka.

At a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan, Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to H M Revanna, R B Thimmapur and Dr M C Mohan Kumari (Geetha Mahadeva Prasad).

Revanna and Thimmapur, both MLCs, were inducted as cabinet rank ministers and Mohan Kumari, a first timeMLA, as Minister of State with independent charge.

With this expansion, the chief minister has filled three posts that were lying vacant following Home Minister G Parameshwara's resignation on his continuation as Congress party's state unit chief, Excise minister H Y Meti's exit after an alleged sex CD scandal and the death of Cooperation minister Mahadev Prasad.

Hours before the swearing in, BJP's Karnataka unit had petitioned the governor to direct appropriate authorities to disqualify Thimmapur and seven other MLCs for allegedly providing false information that they were residents of the city, so as to participate in the Mayoral polls.

Of the eight MLCs whose disqualification was sought, six belonged to the Congress and two to the JDS.

Pointing out at the possibility of Thimmapur being inducted into the cabinet, Opposition BJP leader in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar had demanded that he should not be inducted as he has violated the Representation of the People Act under which he can be penalised and jailed for one year.

Revanna, who belongs to the Kuruba community and Thimmapur the Dalit Left community, had served as ministers in the past.

Mohan Kumari, popularly known as Geetha MahadevaPrasad in political circles, had recently got elected fromthe Gundlupet constituency in the by-elections after the death of her husband H S Mahadeva Prasad, who was the cooperation minister.

This is Siddaramaiah government's last cabinet expansion ahead of assembly elections due early next year.

Looking at retaining power, the Congress has announced that Siddaramaiah would be its face for the polls.

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