Bengaluru, Aug 3 (PTI) In the first expansion of the DK Shivakumar-led Karnataka Cabinet, 19 Congress legislators were sworn in as ministers on Monday. Here is a brief profile of the new inductees.
1) B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan: A five time MLA representing Chamrajpet Constituency in Bengaluru, he served as the Minister for Housing, Waqf and Minority Welfare in the recently dissolved Siddaramaiah cabinet.
A prominent Muslim leader, he quit JD(S) and joined Congress in 2018. He had served as Minister in H D Kumaraswamy led BJP-JD(S) and Congress-JD(S) coalition governments in the past.
The 60-year-old Congress leader was embroiled in a controversy recently after a purported audio clip on his alleged role in an “internal conspiracy” against the Congress candidate during the Davanagere South Assembly bypolls went viral.
Khan termed it “fake” and claimed it was part of a “political conspiracy” generated using AI technology.
2) Santosh Lad: He served as the Minister of Labour Department in the recently dissolved Siddaramaiah cabinet; he played a key role in implementing the paid menstrual leave policy across all sectors in the state, besides introducing the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025.
The 51-year-old Lad represents Kalghatgi constituency in the Dharwad district.
He grew up in an affluent family involved in the mining industry since the 1950s. He had resigned as a minister in November 2013 from the then Siddaramaiah government following allegations linking his family firm to the state’s multi-crore illegal iron ore mining scandal.
3) Rizwan Arshad: The 46-year-old Congress MLA who represents the Shivajinagar constituency in Bengaluru will take charge as a cabinet minister for the first time. He started his political journey by joining the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) when he was in college and served in various youth congress leadership roles, including state and national general secretary positions.
4) Madhu Bangarappa: Bangarappa, who represents the Soraba constituency in Shivamogga district, served as the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education in the previous Siddaramaiah cabinet.
He is the son of former Chief Minister, the late S Bangarappa A prominent OBC leader, the 59-years-old has also been a film actor and producer. He was earlier also part of BJP and JD(S).
5) B Nagendra: Represents Bellary Rural constituency from Ballari district. He served as the Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister in the Siddaramaiah cabinet. In 2024, after facing allegations in connection with an illegal money transfer case involving state-run Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited, he resigned from the Ministry amid mounting political pressure, saying he would come clean in the case.
Later, the 54-year-old Congress leader was also arrested by the ED in connection with a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities.
In June 2026, the CBI filed three chargesheets against Nagendra and his close associate Nekkanti Nagaraj in connection with the alleged diversion of Rs 89 crore in state government funds earmarked for Scheduled Tribes for personal gains. He had earlier also faced allegations in illegal mining cases.
6) S S Mallikarjun: He has served as the Minister for Mines and Geology and Horticulture in the recently dissolved Siddaramaiah cabinet and represents the Davanagere North assembly constituency. The 58-years-old Congress leader is son of Shamanur Shivashankarappa, who was a powerful Lingayat community leader and a veteran leader of the Indian National Congress, who also served as a state minister.
His wife Prabha Mallikarjun, a dentist and philanthropist, also represents Davanagere as a Lok Sabha MP. His son Samarth was elected from Davangere South during April 9 bypolls this year.
7) K S Basavanthappa: A first-time Congress MLA from the Mayakonda (SC) constituency in Davanagere district, comes from a humble background of family of sanitation workers. The 55-year-old Congress leader has consistently raised issues concerning civic workers in the Assembly.
8) Laxman Savadi: The 66-year-old Congress leader who represents the Athani Assembly constituency in Belagavi district belongs to the Ganiga Lingayat community. A former deputy Chief Minister in the BJP government, Savadi joined the Congress ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections after being denied a ticket in the saffron party to contest polls.
This would be the first time he would be serving as a minister since switching to the Congress.
9) Vijayanand Kashappanavar: The 54-year-old Congress MLA from Hungund in Bagalkot district who is regarded as a prominent Lingayat face from north Karnataka will be serving as a minister for the first time. He is the son of late S R Kashappanavar, a three-time MLA from Hungund who was part of the earlier Congress cabinet led by veteran, the late S M Krishna.
10) Basavaraj Rayareddi: A Congress MLA from Yelburga in Koppal district, he is a six-time MLA and former Lok Sabha MP. Rayareddi was the Economic Adviser to the Chief Minister during Siddaramaiah’s tenure. He had earlier served as Higher Education Minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government from 2016 to 2018.
He had earlier served as Housing Minister from 1994 to 1996 in the HD Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal government.
11) H C Balakrishna: Son of former Karnataka minister late H G Channappa, he is a five-time MLA who represents Magadi constituency in Bengaluru South district.
Considered close to Shivakumar, he is a prominent Vokkaliga face from the Old Mysuru region.
12) K M Shivalinge Gowda: The 68-year-old Congress leader is a four-time MLA from the Arsikere Assembly constituency in Hassan district. A former JD(S) leader, he joined the Congress ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls and retained Arsikere on a Congress ticket. He is a first time minister.
13) N Chaluvarayaswamy: The 66-year-old Congress leader, a prominent face from the Vokkaliga community, is a four-time MLA from Nagamangala in Mandya district. He is also a former Lok Sabha MP from Mandya. He served as Agriculture Minister in the recently dissolved Siddaramaiah cabinet. He was earlier with the JD(S) and switched to Congress in 2018.
14) Ajay Singh: Comes from the Kalyana Karnataka region, and represents Jevargi assembly constituency in Kalaburagi district. He is a three times MLA from the constituency. Son of former Karnataka Chief Minister N Dharam Singh, he carries a strong political legacy. He served as the Chairman of the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board.
15) P M Narendraswamy: A three-time MLA from Malavalli, he is a senior Congress leader from Mandya district with over a decade of legislative experience. The 63-year-old is currently the Chairman of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board. He became an MLA for the first time in 2008 as an independent candidate.
16) Shivaraj Tangadagi: The 55-year-old leader is a three-time MLA from Kanakagiri Assembly constituency in Koppal district. He served as Minister for Minor Irrigation (2013-2018) in the first Siddaramaiah-led Congress government and in the recently dissolved cabinet helmed by the Congress veteran, handled Backward Classes Welfare and Kannada & Culture.
He is seen as a prominent AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) face within the Congress in north Karnataka, with influence among backward communities in the Koppal region.
17) Rudrappa Lamani: The 67-year-old Congress leader, who is a three-time MLA currently represents the Haveri (SC) Assembly constituency. He served until recently as the Deputy Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and as the Textiles and Muzrai Minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government from 2016 to 2018.
18) T Raghumurthy: The 63-year-old Congress leader is a three-time MLA from the Challakere (ST) Assembly constituency in Chitradurga district. He has served as Chairman of the Karnataka State Small Scale Industries Development Corporation and will be a minister in the cabinet for the first time.
19) C Putturangashetty: The 72-year-old Congress leader Puttarangashetty entered politics as a Congress candidate in 2008 and has represented the Chamarajanagar Assembly constituency since then.
He later served as Minister for Backward Classes Welfare in the Congress-JD(S) coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy (2018-2019). PTI AMP KSU SA
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