Karnataka Cabinet reshuffle: Violent protests in state as Siddaramaiah drops 14 ministers, inducts 13 others

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday removed 14 ministers from his cabinet and inducted 13 others into it at a swearing-in ceremony at Raj Bhavan in Bengaluru. The move by the Congress government in the state is being seen as having been made with the Assembly elections scheduled in 2018 in sight.

Siddaramaiah inducted some Congress veterans, who were not given any portfolio when the Congress took charge of the state in 2013, into the cabinet as part of the rejig, according to the Indian Express.

The revamping caused chaos in Bengaluru when supporters of some of the ministers who had been dropped from the cabinet came out onto the streets to protest. The agitations turned violent and traffic in some areas was also hit, the Hindu reported.

Widespread protests

Supporters of some other Congress leaders, who were expecting a place in the cabinet, also resorted ro violence. Congress workers who support Vijayanagar (Bengaluru) legislator M Krishnappa, who was not given any portfolio in the Siddaramaiah's cabinet, resorted to stone-pelting while protesting on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway.

Mallikayya Guttedar and Deputy Speaker Shivashankara Reddy were also expecting to get berths in the cabinet. However, when their names did not appear in the list of new ministers, their supporters took to streets and damaged government buses and other vehicles in in Kalaburagi and Gauribidanur, respectively.

The Congress government inducted nine Ministers of Cabinet rank and four of Minister of State.