Karnataka cabinet expansion: 24 MLAs to take oaths as ministers on Saturday

A group of 24 MLAs is set to be sworn in as ministers in the 224-member Karnataka assembly. The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled to take place on Saturday at noon. The Congress party on Friday released list of 24 MLAs who will take the oath as ministers in the 224-member assembly. As per reports, these ministers are slated to take oath on Saturday.The list features names of MLAs H K Patil, Krishna Byregowda, N Cheluvarayaswamy, K Venkatesh, H C Mahadevappa, Congress working president Eshwar Khandre, and former state Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao, will be sworn in. Additionally, those taking the oath include Kyathasandra N Rajanna, Sharanabasappa Darshanapur, Shivanand Patil, Ramappa Balappa Timmapur, S S Mallikarjun, Shivaraj Sangappa Tangadagi, Sharanaprakash Rudrappa Patil, Mankal Vaidya, Laxmi Hebbalkar, Rahim Khan, D Sudhakar, Santosh Lad, N S Boseraju, Suresha B S, Madhu Bangarappa, M C Sudhakar, and B Nagendra.Among them, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Krishna Byre Gowda, Eshwar Khandre, Raheem Khan, Santosh Lad, K N Rajanna, Peeriyapattana Venkatesh, H C Mahadevappa, Byrathi Suresh, C Puttarangashetty, Shivaraj Tangadi, R B Timmpur and B Nagendra, are considered close to Siddaramaiah. Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Madhu Bangarappa, D Sudhakar, Cheluvaraya Swami, Mankul Vaidya, and M C Sudhakar are considered close to Shivakumar. The Congress' list includes six Lingayat and four Vokkaliga names.Of the appointed MLAs, three are from Scheduled Castes, two from Scheduled Tribes, and five from Other Backward Communities, representing Kuruba, Raju, Maratha, Ediga, and Mogaveera communities.With Dinesh Gundu Rao's inclusion, Brahmins have also gained representation in the cabinet.