The expansion of the Karnataka Cabinet led by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has sparked a huge discontent among MLAs in the state, with many aspirants for ministerial berths openly expressing their displeasure.
Senior Congress MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao was the first to openly express disappointment over being left out. Rao, a Brahmin face of the party, served as Health Minister in the previous Siddaramaiah government and was a close ally of the former Chief Minister.
"Throughout my career in politics, I have been extremely grateful to serve the people of Karnataka - as an MLA and as a Minister. Working on initiatives I truly believe in has made a difference on the ground. Being a six-time MLA is only possible because of the trust people keep placing in me, and that means everything," Rao posted on 'X'.
As soon as he found out that his name was not on the list, Yashwant Ray Gowda Patil, who was furious, submitted his resignation letter to the interim Speaker Rudrappa Lamani. Many MLAs, including Belur Gopalakrishna, T.B. Jayachandra and B.K. Sangameshwara, have threatened to resign. The decision will be announced on Tuesday, they said.
According to local media reports, the Congress’s decision not to include any MLA from the Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts has also triggered disgruntlement. In this context, MLAs and Legislative Council members from both districts have scheduled a separate meeting in Bengaluru to discuss the next political course of action. The meeting will be held under the leadership of Bangarpet MLA S.N. Narayanaswamy and will be attended by seven MLAs, including Kolar MLA Kottur Manjunath, Malur MLA K.Y. Nanjegowda, Chintamani MLA M.C. Sudhakar, Bagepalli MLA S.N. Subbareddy and Chikkaballapur MLA Pradeep Eshwar. Legislative Council members M.L. Anil Kumar and Nazir Ahmed Bagi are also expected to attend the meeting.
In the Siddaramaiah Cabinet, Chintamani MLA M.C. Sudhakar was given a ministerial berth. Another MLA from Kolar district was promised a ministerial berth in the second term. But, to the disappointment of the MLAs, both were neglected.
Speculations are that the MLAs could consider a mass resignation as a means to persuade the High Command to rethink its decision.
