All MLAs for now. Appointments for Mysuru delayed

Bengaluru: After months of wait, the Siddaramaiah-led Congress Government on Friday appointed 34 MLAs of the party as Heads of various State-run Boards and Corporations.

However, barring CESC, no appointments has been made concerning 6 other Mysuru-based Boards and Corporations — MUDA (Mysuru Urban Development Authority), CADA (Command Area Development Authority-Cauvery), KSIC (Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation), MPVL (Mysore Paints and Varnish Limited), KEA (Karnataka Exhibition Authority) and ZAK (Zoo Authority of Karnataka).

Those appointed include: Bengaluru’s Shanthinagar MLA N.A. Haris (BDA), Srirangapatna MLA Rameshbabu Bandisiddegowda (CESC – Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation), Arasikere MLA K.M. Shivalingegowda (KHB), Gubbi MLA S.R. Srinivas (KSRTC), Chamarajanagar MLA C. Puttarangashetty (MSIL), H.D. Kote MLA Anil Chikkamadu (JLR – Jungle Lodges and Resorts), Bhadravathi MLA B.K. Sangameshwar (Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Corporation-Land Army), Sringeri MLA T.D. Rajegowda (Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Limited- KREDL) and Dharwad MLA Vinay Kulkarni (KUWS&DB-Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board).

According to the notification, all the postings of the 34 MLAs come with Cabinet ranking for a tenure of 2 years or until further orders. The appointments to Boards and Corporations had come into rough weather after several Ministers including Dr. G. Parameshwara, Satish Jarkiholi and K.N. Rajanna had openly raised strong objections over party workers from their districts being appointed without consulting them. This promoted CM Siddaramaiah to clear the appointment of only MLAs while keeping in abeyance the party workers’ appointments, according to party sources.

Sources said that barring the sitting MLAs, no other Congress party leaders have found place in this first list of appointments to Boards and Corporations.

However, it is learnt that the screening of the second list of appointees, who include party leaders, workers, former Legislators and those who sacrificed their Assembly candidature for the sake of defectors from other parties, is going on and the list may be out in a week or fortnight. The screening is being made based on caste, regional and worthiness considerations.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that former Zilla Panchayat (ZP) President K. Marigowda, who sacrificed his candidature from Chamundeshwari Assembly segment for the sake of Mavinahalli Siddegowda, is most likely to become the MUDA Chairman. Marigowda is said to have been promised of the post by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ahead of the Assembly polls, it is learnt.

The other aspirants from Mysuru district include  N.R. MLA Tanveer Sait, KPCC Women’s Wing State President Dr. B. Pushpa Amarnath, who is also a former ZP President, former MLAs M.K.Somashekar and H.P. Manjunath, City Congress President R. Murthy, District President Dr. B.J. Vijaykumar and Congress Spokesperson M. Lakshmana.

Lakshmana, Dr.  Vijaykumar, Dr.Yathindra Siddaramaiah, son of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Dr. Sushruth Gowda are said to be in the race for the party ticket  from Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha seat, while Dr. Pushpa Amarnath is said to be keen on Chamarajanagar (SC) seat in the forthcoming LS polls.

However, once the official list of Congress candidates for the LS polls is out, the rest of the leaders vying for the LS polls ticket, may find a place in the second list of appointees to head Boards and Corporations in the coming days.