Bengaluru (Karnataka): Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday expanded his cabinet for the first time since assuming office three weeks ago, inducting 17 ministers including former chief minister Jagadish Shettar.
Among others who took the oath of office and secrecy, administered by the Governor at the Raj Bhavan, were K S Eashwarappa, Govind Makthappa Karajol, C T Ravi, Basavaraj Bommai, Dr Ashwath Narayan C N, Laxman Sangappa Savadi, B Sreeramulu, S Suresh Kumar, V Somanna, Kota Shrinivas Poojari, J C Madhu Swamy, Chandrakantagouda Channappagouda Patil, H Ganesh, Prabhu Chauhan and Jolle Shashikala Annasaheb. Srinivas Poojari, Member of Legislative Council, also took oath as Cabinet minister today.
For the last three weeks, Yediyurappa was the sole member of his council of ministers.
In a letter to Governor Vajubhai Vala on Monday, the Chief Minister, who drew Opposition's criticism for the delay in cabinet expansion proposed 17 names including former deputy chief ministers R Ashok and KS Eshwarappa. In the cabinet expansion, 50 per cent of ministers belong to the dominant Lingayat community. Yediyurappa himself hails from the community. He took oath as Chief Minister on July 26 following the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government.
