Bengaluru: With an eye on 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress handed a lion’s share of cabinet berths and other key positions to legislators of north Karnataka, with six new faces set to join the seven-month-old ministry on Saturday evening.
Though the party’s list would be released at the AICC headquarters hours before the swearing-in, senior leaders admitted that former CM Siddaramaiah had his way in ensuring more ministerial berths for legislators elected from constituencies in Mumbai-Karnataka and Hyderabad-Karnataka, besides batting for the inclusion of two Kurubas – Mr C.S. Shivalli and Mr M.T.B. Nagaraj. Forest minister R. Shankar, also a Kuruba, would exit the cabinet along with municipal administration minister Ramesh Jarkiholi with the latter set to make way for his sibling Mr Satish Jarkiholi. The lone woman in the cabinet, Dr Jayamala Ramachandra, would continue to hold her post thanks to the support of general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, K.C. Venugopal. The lone Muslim, Rahim Khan, too, represents Bidar in north Karnataka.
But the leaders could not decide between former minister M.B. Patil and B.C. Patil, both Lingayats, with the choice likely to be announced at the eleventh hour on Saturday. Dr Ajay Singh, son of late CM N. Dharam Singh, would take over as state's representative in New Delhi, while former minister V. Muniyappa would occupy the post of political secretary to CM H.D. Kumaraswamy.
