Dinesh Gundu Rao questioned his exclusion from DK Shivakumar’s expanded Cabinet.
Nineteen ministers took oath despite the high command approving 20 names.
Gayathri Shanthegowda’s delayed induction left the Karnataka Cabinet without women.
Former Karnataka minister and senior Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday expressed disappointment over being excluded from the first expansion of Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s Cabinet, saying he had not been informed why he was denied a ministerial berth despite decades of service to the party and the state.
His remarks came amid confusion over the final list of ministers, the last-minute postponement of MLC Gayathri Shanthegowda’s swearing-in and growing resentment among Congress legislators who failed to find a place in the expanded ministry.
Nineteen legislators were sworn in at Lok Bhavan, although the Congress high command had approved 20 names. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy.
Gundu Rao, a six-time MLA who served as a minister in the previous Siddaramaiah government, was among several senior leaders left out of the Cabinet.
In a statement posted on X, he said his repeated electoral victories reflected the trust placed in him by voters and that he remained grateful for the opportunity to serve Karnataka as both a legislator and minister.
He also highlighted his long association with the Congress organisation, noting that he had worked with the Youth Congress, District Congress, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and the All India Congress Committee while remaining committed to the party and its ideology.
“It is disappointing that after so many years of service to the State and the party, I have not been considered to serve the government in this Cabinet. I am disappointed by decisions taken without being given any reason for my exclusion,” he wrote.
Despite his disappointment, Gundu Rao said he would continue working for the welfare of the people and the development of Karnataka.
Speaking to ANI, he said he was still seeking an explanation for his removal from the ministry and questioned whether concerns had been raised over his performance or conduct.
“The only thing is that they should have told me the reason. I don’t know why I have been dropped. Was I a poor performer as a minister? Do I have any corruption charges? Was I not working well for the party?” he asked.
Gundu Rao said the absence of any communication before the Cabinet expansion had caused him greater disappointment than the loss of the ministerial position itself.
“Even in the previous government, when Siddaramaiah was Chief Minister, I voluntarily told him for three years that he should make somebody else a minister because I wanted to work for the party. Becoming a minister is not the end for me. But the disappointment is that they have not given me a proper reason for dropping me. I hope that, at least in the future, they will tell me why I was dropped. A proper reason should be given. That is the only thing I expect,” he told ANI.
Several other senior members of the previous Siddaramaiah Cabinet were also excluded, including HC Mahadevappa, HK Patil, K Venkatesh, MC Sudhakar and Laxmi Hebbalkar.
The legislators inducted into the Cabinet were PM Narendraswamy, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Rudrappa Lamani, KS Basavanthappa, B Nagendra, T Raghumurthy, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rizwan Arshad, Santosh Lad, Madhu Bangarappa, Putturangashetty, SS Mallikarjun, Ajay Singh, N Chaluvaraya Swamy, KM Shivalinge Gowda, HC Balakrishna, Basvaraj Rayareddi, Vijayanand Kashappanavar and Laxman Savadi.
Earlier in the day, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal had conveyed the high command’s approval of 20 names. However, Gayathri Shanthegowda, who figured on the approved list, was not sworn in. Her exclusion left the Cabinet without a woman minister.
The party did not provide an official explanation for the postponement, although Congress circles linked it to differences among state leaders over her induction.
The final list also underwent another late change, with Bhatkal MLA Mankala Vaidya being replaced by former minister SS Mallikarjun. No official reason was given for the revision.
The developments triggered protests by supporters of some ministerial aspirants in different parts of Karnataka. Indi MLA Yashavantarayagouda V Patil also submitted his resignation from the Assembly after being denied a Cabinet berth.
Shivakumar, who took oath as Chief Minister on June 3 along with 13 ministers, appealed to disappointed aspirants to remain patient. He said patience had helped him reach his present position.
Following the expansion, one position remains vacant in Karnataka’s 34-member Council of Ministers.
The Congress high command also approved GS Patil as Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, A S Ponnanna as Deputy Speaker, Saleem Ahmed as Chairman of the Legislative Council and Umashree as Deputy Chairperson.
