BENGALURU: Realising the heavy burden of briefing the media on his government’s achievements, chief minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday separated the law and parliamentary affairs portfolios.The move will also ease his responsibility of coordinating legislative affairs with the Opposition and the constitutional posts of the Speaker and chairman.Krishna Byre Gowda, who holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, has now been given the parliamentary affairs department.This is the first time that the two departments, which have traditionally been handled together, have been bifurcated.
What has changed?
According to the latest portfolio notification, Shivakumar will continue to hold law, justice and human rights, along with finance, Cabinet affairs, personnel and administrative reforms, intelligence, information, legislation and agriculture marketing.Byre Gowda will handle parliamentary affairs in addition to Greater Bengaluru development.The move comes shortly after Shivakumar’s August 12 portfolio allocation, in which he had retained both law and parliamentary affairs along with several key departments.At the time, he also retained the BDA and BMRDA, despite Byre Gowda seeking these portfolios along with the Greater Bengaluru authority.The latest change effectively gives Byre Gowda a larger role in coordinating the government’s legislative business, while Shivakumar retains direct control over the Law department.
Shivakumar retains key portfolios
He will also retain urban planning responsibilities, including the commissionerate of town and country Planning and urban local bodies falling under the BDA and BMRDA areas.Byre Gowda, meanwhile, will continue to handle Greater Bengaluru development, including the Greater Bengaluru authority, along with the five Bengaluru city corporations, BWSSB and BMRCL.The earlier allocation came after the Congress government decided against an immediate cabinet reshuffle following discussions with the party’s central leadership.The portfolios had been distributed among 33 ministers.
