Politics
Archived — This article has been archived. The information may be outdated.
Karnataka monsoon session opens with all-male Cabinet
The Hindu··13 Aug
Karnataka's legislature monsoon session opens on August 13 with a 33-member Council of Ministers that includes no woman. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar inducted 19 men on August 3, taking the Cabinet to one short of the 34-member ceiling. He has said the remaining berth is for a woman legislator, after MLC Gayathri Shanthegowda was dropped before the swearing-in.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Karnataka residents watching the monsoon session will see an all-male ministry answer questions until the vacant 34th berth is filled.
- Women Congress legislators and their districts can note the chief minister has publicly reserved that last seat for a woman, without naming who.
- Voters comparing Cabinets can recall Lakshmi Hebbalkar was the lone woman minister in the previous Siddaramaiah government and is now out of the council.
What's Happening
- The August 3 expansion inducted 19 men and took the Shivakumar Cabinet to 33 members, one below the constitutional ceiling of 34.
- Gayathri Shanthegowda, the woman on an earlier approved list, was dropped hours before the swearing-in over a pending election dispute.
- The chief minister has said a woman will be inducted in the remaining vacancy and has been consulting the Congress leadership in Delhi on portfolios.
Why One Berth Became the Gender Test
- Indian states cap ministers at 15 percent of Assembly strength; Karnataka's arithmetic leaves 34 including the chief minister, so one empty seat is the only remaining slot.
- Shivakumar replaced Siddaramaiah as chief minister in June 2026; Siddaramaiah skipped the August 3 swearing-in, which party leaders read as a faction signal.
- Umashree was named Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council, a House office rather than a Cabinet rank, which is why it does not change the all-male ministry count.
all-newseditors-picks
