BENGALURU: Chief minister DK Shivakumar’s 33-member cabinet has set a post-2004 record for Scheduled Caste (SC) representation, with seven SC ministers in the council, matching the number of Lingayat ministers and signalling the Congress’ push to strengthen its traditional Dalit base ahead of the 2028 assembly elections.The expanded ministry reflects a carefully balanced caste, regional and political mix, with representation for dominant communities, backward classes, minorities and Scheduled Tribes, while accommodating influential leaders from across Karnataka.The cabinet has seven Lingayat ministers — MB Patil, Eshwar Khandre, Sharanprakash Patil, Basavaraj Rayareddi, Vijayananda Kashappanavar, Laxman Savadi and SS Mallikarjun — and seven SC ministers — deputy chief minister G Parameshwara, KH Muniyappa, Priyank Kharge, Shivaraj Tangadagi, PM Narendraswamy, Rudrappa Lamani and KS Basavanthappa. Muniyappa and Basavanthappa belong to the SC Left sub-sect, while the remaining five are from SC Right.Kashappanavar’s inclusion in place of former minister Laxmi Hebbalkar is seen as an attempt to consolidate support among Panchamasali Lingayats and counter the influence of expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal. Mallikarjun’s induction is aimed at retaining the party’s influence in Davanagere following the death of veteran Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa.The Vokkaliga community, to which Shivakumar belongs, has six ministers, including the chief minister, ensuring strong representation without dominating the cabinet.The ministry also reflects the Congress’ Ahinda strategy following former chief minister Siddaramaiah’s retirement from electoral politics. It includes three Scheduled Tribe ministers — Satish Jarkiholi, B Nagendra and T Raghumurthy — and three Muslim ministers — UT Khader, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan and Rizwan Arshad. The Kuruba community has two representatives, including Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra Siddaramaiah and Byrathi Suresh.Regionally, Bengaluru Urban has the highest representation with six ministers, followed by Mandya, Belagavi, Koppal and Davanagere with two ministers each.Political analyst MN Patil said the cabinet composition suggests the Congress is positioning itself for the 2028 Assembly elections and a bid for a second consecutive term, a strategy that could pose a challenge to the BJP and JD(S).
