Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday allocated portfolios to the 13 ministers in his new cabinet, ending days of speculation over the distribution of key departments in the new government.
The decision made it clear who would oversee key portfolios like Finance, Home, Revenue, Water Resources, Energy, and Bengaluru Development. Senior leaders had been trying to push for influential departments, and others wanted to keep portfolios that they had been working on in past administrations.
According to sources in the ruling Congress government, many ministers argued that, as many projects and policy initiatives were not completed in the Siddaramaiah government, they should continue working with the departments they had been responsible for. This likely influenced the Chief Minister’s decision on portfolio allocation.
One of the most closely watched assignments was the Bengaluru Development Department. Senior leader Ramalinga Reddy had expressed interest in handling the portfolio. And finally, the department was given to Krishna Byre Gowda, and Ramalinga Reddy was appointed to the Water Resources Department, which is another important portfolio for the state.
Portfolio allocation done@PriyankKharge gets Home, @krishnabgowda gets Bengaluru Development, DCM G Parameshwara gets Revenue, MB Patil - Jarkiholi - Muniyappa and Sharaprakash retains their old portfolio. Ramalinga reddy gets irrigation @NewIndianXpress @ramupatil_TNIE pic.twitter.com/7A3HbtqOBT
— Ashwini M Sripad/ಅಶ್ವಿನಿ ಎಂ ಶ್ರೀಪಾದ್🇮🇳 (@AshwiniMS_TNIE) June 4, 2026
Deputy Chief Minister Dr G. Parameshwara has been given the Revenue Department and Youth Empowerment. Revenue is one of the most important departments of the state administration as it deals with land records, revenue collection, and governance.
Priyank Kharge will be given the Home Department, along with IT-BT, as well as Information Technology and Biotechnology (IT-BT), and he will be one of the most influential members of the cabinet. The Home portfolio will put him at the centre of law and order administration in Karnataka.
The son of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah, was appointed as the Urban Development and Backward Classes Welfare. His appointment will have attracted much attention as his political profile is growing in the Congress party.
The senior Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi has been appointed to lead the Public Works Department (PWD), and M.B. Patil will oversee Large and Medium Industries, a key department for investment and industrial growth in Karnataka.
K.J. George, another prominent member of the cabinet, has been given charge of the Energy and Tourism Departments. KH Muniyappa will take over the Food and Civil Supplies Department.
Other notable appointments include Eshwar Khandre as Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, Bhairathi Suresh as Transport Minister, and Dr Sharan Prakash Patil as Minister for Medical Education.
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has retained some of the most important portfolios, including Finance, Intelligence, Cooperation, and Personnel and Administrative Reforms, so much so that he was directly involved in the state’s governance and fiscal management.
Karnataka Cabinet Portfolio Allocation
- D.K. Shivakumar (Chief Minister) – Finance, Intelligence, Cooperation, Personnel and Administrative Reforms.
- Dr G. Parameshwara (Deputy Chief Minister) - Revenue, Youth Empowerment.
- Krishna Byre Gowda - Bengaluru Development.
- Priyank Kharge - Home, IT-BT.
- Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah - Urban Development, Backwards Classes Welfare.
- U.T. Khader - Health.
- Satish Jarkiholi - Public Works Department.
- M.B. Patil – Large and Medium Industries.
- K.J. George – Energy, Tourism.
- K.H. Muniyappa – Food and Civil Supplies.
- Ramalinga Reddy – Water Resources.
- Eshwar Khandre – Panchayat Raj and Rural Development.
- Bhairathi Suresh – Transport.
- Dr Sharan Prakash Patil – Medical Education.
The portfolio distribution reflects Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s attempts to balance regional, caste, and political concerns, and ensure that experienced leaders are placed in departments that are important to Karnataka’s development agenda.
