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Bengaluru: The Congress government in Karnataka on Saturday expanded its Cabinet by inducting 24 ministers, including just one woman, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, and veteran legislator HK Patil, thus filling all 34 ministerial positions a week after the party assumed power in the state. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 24 ministers, including nine first-timers B Nagendra, Madhu Bangarappa, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Mankal Vaidya, Dr MC Sudhakar, KN Rajanna, NS Boseraju, Suresha BS, and K Venkatesh. The 24 ministers who took oath today include 23 MLAs and the Congress high command's surprise candidate N S Boseraju, who is neither an MLA nor an MLC. "Boseraju, a former MLA and MLC, is the All India Congress Committee secretary. Hailing from Raichur, he is a committed Congress worker. His name was cleared by the Congress high command yesterday," a Congress leader told PTI. "Though there are three women MLAs, Roopakala Shashidhar, Kaneez Fatima and Laxmi Hebbalkar, the party chose to give the Cabinet berth only to Hebbalkar," a Congress activist, who was also a ticket aspirant, complained. There are very rare instances of all sanctioned ministerial positions being filled in Karnataka, a Congress office-bearer said. The Karnataka government can have 34 ministers. Ten of them, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar, were sworn in on May 20. Amid tight security, the swearing in took place at Raj Bhavan. MLAs H K Patil, Krishna Byregowda, N Cheluvarayaswamy, K Venkatesh, H C Mahadevappa, Congress working president Eshwar Khandre and former state Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao are among those who took oath. Others in the list are: Kyathasandra N Rajanna, Sharanabasappa Dars ...