Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday allocated portfolios to Cabinet ministers following days of deliberations and meetings with the Congress leadership in New Delhi.

Among the key changes, Ramalinga Reddy has been shifted from the Water Resources portfolio to Forests, while N Chaluvarayaswamy has been given charge of Water Resources.

B Nagendra, who has been accused in the Valmiki Corporation scam, has been allotted the Planning and Statistics portfolio. Madhu Bangarappa will continue to hold School Education and Literacy.

Basavaraj Rayareddi, who was reportedly in contention for the Finance portfolio, has been assigned Higher Education. He had earlier served as Higher Education Minister during the first Siddaramaiah government.

Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has retained several key departments, including Finance, Cabinet Affairs, Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Intelligence, Information, Law, Justice and Human Rights, Parliamentary Affairs, Legislation, and Agricultural Marketing, besides departments that remain unallocated.

BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan has been given the Housing portfolio, while KH Muniyappa will handle Social Welfare. UT Khader has been assigned Minority Welfare, Haj and Waqf, as well as Health and Family Welfare, while MB Patil will continue to oversee Commerce and Industries.

Despite speculation over the possible induction of a woman minister into the Cabinet, the latest allocation does not indicate the inclusion of any woman minister.

The portfolio allocation follows the recent expansion of the Karnataka Cabinet.

Separately, the state government on Wednesday appointed Congress MLA A S Ponnanna, representing the Virajpet Assembly constituency, as Political Secretary to the Chief Minister with Cabinet Minister status.

Ponnanna, who was reportedly aspiring for a ministerial berth, had earlier expressed displeasure after being left out of the Cabinet expansion last week.

The full list of Karnataka Cabinet ministers and their portfolios is given below: