Bengaluru: Ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections and perhaps the final expansion of his four and half year-old ministry, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inducted three ministers into his cabinet on Friday and reshuffled some of the portfolios by giving the powerful home portfolio to his senior colleague, R. Ramalinga Reddy.
Besides this, he also elevated four state ministers including Priyank Kharge to cabinet status. In effecting this exercise, caste and electoral calculations played a major role. The latest induction of the three ministers at Raj Bhavan was to fill three vacancies.
Former minister H. S. Mahadevaprasad's wife Geetha Mahadevaprasad who got elected from the former's Gundlupet assembly seat, was allocated Sugar and Textiles portfolio while R. B. Thimmapur, MLC, was given excise and Mr Siddaramaiah’s close aide H. M. Revanna, MLC, bagged the Transport ministry.
