Bengaluru, June 1:  The Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular or JD(S) leaders in Karnataka announced the cabinet expansion and portfolio allocation for their coalition government in Karnataka. Among key portfolios, the JD(S) will take care of the Finance Department while the Congress will run the Home Department.

The power-sharing arrangement between the two alliance partners was being finalized ever since Kumaraswamy proved majority on the floor of the assembly on May 25.

Venugopal said that Rahul Gandhi has directed that this alliance is the need of the country. "In the larger interests, we should take some decision. He spoke to HD Kumaraswamy and decided to give Finance portfolio to the JDS", he added.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said that the expansion of ministry will take place on June 6. According to the deal, Congress has got 22 ministries while the JD(S) will handle 12 ministries.

On Thursday, he had said that a decision on the portfolios has been arrived at with the consensus of everyone after several rounds of deliberations. Both the parties reiterated that H D Kumaraswamy will be the chief minister for the full term and the two parties will contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections together.

Karnataka Cabinet: Who Got What

Congress:

  • Home

  • Irrigation

  • Bengaluru City Development

  • Industry and Sugar Industry

  • Health

  • Revenue/Muzrai

  • Rural Development

  • Urban Development

  • Agriculture

  • Housing

  • Medical Education

  • Social Welfare

  • Forest and Environment

  • Labour

  • Mines and Geology

  • Women and Child Welfare

  • Food and Civil Supply

  • Haj and Wakf and Minority Affairs

  • Law and Parliamentary Affairs

  • S&T and ITBT

  • Youth & Sports and Kannada Culture

  • Ports and Inland Transport development

JD(S):

  • Information

  • GAD

  • Intelligence

  • Planning and Statistics; PWD; Power; Cooperation

  • Education (minus Medical Education)

  • Animal Husbandry and Fisheries;

  • Horticulture and Sericulture

  • Small-scale industries

  • Transport

  • Minor Irrigation

  • Finance and Excise

  • Tourism

To recall, the Congress had won 78 seats in the Karnataka Assembly while the JDS had won 37. Both the parties formed a coalition government in the state with JD(S)'s Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister.

Congress leader KC Venugopal on Friday made a big announcement saying that the Congress and JDS will fight Lok Sabha elections together as an alliance in 2019. Venugopal stated that portfolios are final between parties, they can decide on occupants internally.

Reports inform that the leaders of two parties have held 5 rounds of talks in Delhi since Wednesday to finalise portfolio sharing arrangement.  JD(S) secretary general Danish Ali on Thursday was quoted by PTI as saying, “We have held five rounds of talks with each other and have decided that the JD(S) will get the Finance portfolio. I will now be travelling to Bengaluru to hold further talks within our party".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 01, 2018 05:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).