Amid criticism over the lack of women's representation in his newly formed Cabinet, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday said there are several vacancies in the ministry and that opportunities will be provided in the coming days.
Shivakumar was sworn in as Chief Minister on Wednesday along with 13 ministers.
The sanctioned strength of the Karnataka Council of Ministers is 34, including the Chief Minister.
“Let them (BJP) wait; there are a lot of vacancies. Last time, too, there were no women in the first round. We are all there,” Shivakumar told reporters in response to a question on opposition criticism over the absence of women in the Cabinet.
Stating that the Congress government has implemented several schemes for women, he said, “We have set a model in the country.” Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, R Ashoka, criticised the government for not inducting any woman into the ministry.
Criticism also came from within the party, with senior Congress leader Margaret Alva expressing “deep disappointment” over the lack of women's representation in the new Council of Ministers.
“Congratulations to DK Shivakumar on being sworn in as Karnataka Chief Minister. I wish him and his team success. I would have loved to see at least one Congress woman in the new Karnataka Cabinet sworn in today. Deeply disappointed that there isn't one,” Alva, a former Union Minister who has also served as Governor of several states, said in a post on X.
Eleven of the 13 ministers inducted into the Shivakumar-led Cabinet were part of the previous Siddaramaiah government.
Interestingly, Siddaramaiah's son and MLC Yathindra was also inducted into the Ministry. However, no women legislators were included in the first phase of Cabinet formation.
Yathindra and U T Khader, who resigned as Legislative Assembly Speaker, are the only two new faces in the Cabinet, while the remaining ministers were part of Siddaramaiah's previous ministry.
Senior Dalit MLA G Parameshwara was appointed Deputy Chief Minister.
Lakshmi Hebbalkar was the only woman minister in the previous Siddaramaiah government.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
