In a minor reshuffle of the Karnataka state cabinet, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has shifted the Planning and Statistics portfolio from Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to Cabinet Minister K. Venkatesh.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will continue to hold several key portfolios, including Finance, Cabinet Affairs, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), Intelligence, Information, Youth Services, Sports, ST Welfare, and Co-operation (excluding Agriculture Marketing). He also retains all other unallocated portfolios, as per the notification.
Minister K. Venkatesh, who currently handles Animal Husbandry and Sericulture, has been given the additional responsibility of the Planning and Statistics department.
According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Affairs and Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) Secretariat, the change takes effect immediately.
The notification was published in a special issue of the Karnataka Gazette on Monday, May 25, 2026.
It was issued by order and in the name of the Governor by Banadarangaiah N.R., Under Secretary to the Government, D.P.A.R (State Protocol).
This redistribution marks a strategic adjustment within the Siddaramaiah-led administration, entrusting the key Planning and Statistics department to Venkatesh while the Chief Minister continues to oversee major governance and security portfolios.
“I have been invited to Delhi. There is a meeting tomorrow at 11 AM; I do not know the agenda. Mr Venugopal called me to inform me about the date and time of the meeting,” Siddaramaiah told the reporters after holding a press conference.
State Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, however, is unlikely to attend the same meeting. When questioned on being summoned to Delhi, DK Shivakumar said, “I will go if called.”