Karnataka Government Names 8 Ministers as Official Spokespersons; Departments Told to Provide Information Immediately
Bengaluru, September 10: The Karnataka government has appointed eight ministers as its official spokespersons to articulate the government’s position and issue clarifications on its behalf across the media and other platforms, while directing all departmental secretaries and heads of departments to immediately provide them with information and details they seek.
The order, issued on September 10 by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Political), creates an eight-member ministerial spokesperson team for communicating the government’s position. The appointments follow a note from Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar dated September 2, 2026, directing that selected ministers be designated as official spokespersons.
According to the government proceedings, the spokespersons have been appointed specifically to express the government’s stand on various platforms, including the media, and to provide clarifications on behalf of the government.
The eight ministers named in the order are Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue and Sports Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara; Greater Bengaluru Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Krishna Byre Gowda; Home, IT-BT and e-Governance Minister Priyank Kharge; Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Lad; Health and Family Welfare, Minority Welfare, Wakf and Haj Minister U.T. Khader; Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar Khandre; Municipal Administration Minister H.C. Balakrishna; and Cooperation Minister Laxman Savadi.
The order goes beyond merely naming spokespersons. It directs all departmental secretaries and heads of departments to immediately furnish any necessary information or details sought by the eight ministers. The direction gives the designated spokespersons access to departmental inputs needed to communicate or clarify the government’s position on issues arising across different portfolios.
The formal arrangement places ministers handling a range of key portfolios — including Revenue, Greater Bengaluru Development, Parliamentary Affairs, Home, Information Technology, e-Governance, Labour, Health, Minority Welfare, Rural Development, Panchayat Raj, Municipal Administration and Cooperation — in the government’s official communication team.
The proceedings state that the Chief Minister had, through his September 2 note, instructed that certain ministers be appointed as official spokespersons to perform the task of expressing the government’s stand and issuing clarifications on its behalf in the media and other forums. The September 10 order formally implements that direction.
Dr. G. Parameshwara, who is identified in the order as Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Revenue and Sports, heads the list. Krishna Byre Gowda, identified as Minister for Greater Bengaluru Development and Parliamentary Affairs, is the second spokesperson named.
Priyank Kharge, identified as Minister for Home, IT-BT and e-Governance, and Santosh Lad, Minister for Labour and Employment, have also been included in the eight-member team.
U.T. Khader, identified in the order as Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Minority Welfare, Wakf and Haj, has been designated as an official spokesperson along with Eshwar Khandre, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
The other two spokespersons are H.C. Balakrishna, identified as Minister for Municipal Administration, and Laxman Savadi, Minister for Cooperation.
The appointment gives the government a formally designated group of political representatives authorised to speak for the administration rather than leaving official responses and clarifications to individual departments alone. Under the order, departments are required to support these ministers with information when sought.
The order is Government Order No. DPAR 281 RAS 2026, Bengaluru, dated September 10, 2026. It was issued by Sandeep B.K., Under Secretary to Government, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Political), by order and in the name of the Governor of Karnataka.
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