The government led by Karnataka’s new chief minister, DK Shivakumar, has an air of social engineering, with a mix of important castes and two minority groups – Muslim and Christian – but no women.
Nine of the 14 ministers who were sworn in on Wednesday were from southern Karnataka and five from the northern part of the state. Shivakumar, who represents Kanakapura Assembly headquarters in Bengaluru Rural district, is a powerful leader of the Vokkaligas, a dominant community that has produced six CMs so far in the state.
The new government, according to several leaders, includes two ministers from the Vokkaliga tribe and three ministers from the Lingayats, another dominant community in the state. There are three Dalit faces, two Kuruba leaders, and one minister each from the Reddy, Scheduled Tribe, Christian and Muslim communities.
G Parameshwara, former Home Minister and a key Dalit face, has been appointed Deputy Chief Minister. His promotion points to Congress’ electoral calculations as well as social engineering. Priyank, the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, another Dalit leader, has been retained in the cabinet.
In 2023, the party won a major chunk of Dalit and tribal votes in the Vokkaliga belt that runs between Kolar and Mysuru. “The Prime Minister, who belongs to the dominant caste, along with the Dalit Deputy Chief Minister, is sending the right political signal to the voters,” said a former Karnataka MP. Adding more force to the Congress-sanctioned social engineering, former Union Railway Minister KH Muniyappa, who remains in the Cabinet, also belongs to the Dalit community. Former UT Speaker Khadr and Energy Minister KJ George represent the two minority communities.
Former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Hebbal MLA Birathi Suresh’s son Yatindra hails from the Kuruba caste, the third largest social group in Karnataka. The two leaders were chosen after Siddaramaiah – the tallest Kuruba leader in the state – stepped down to make way for Shivakumar.
Lingayat leader MB Patil, Valmiki (Nayaka or tribal) legislator Satish Jharkiholi, Eshwar Khandre of the powerful Veerashiva (Lingayat) community, Krishna Bair Gowda (Vokkaliga) and Charan Prakash Patil – the third Lingayat leader – were also sworn in as ministers. Ramalinga Reddy hails from the Reddy community.
