Mandya: After a gap of few years, Revenue Minister R. Ashok has been appointed as the new Mandya District in-Charge Minister, replacing Excise Minister K. Gopalaiah, who held the responsibility for exactly a year. The State Government issued an order to this                                   effect yesterday.

Excise Minister K. Gopalaiah, the MLA from Mahalakshmi Layout in Bengaluru, was appointed as Mandya and Hassan Districts in-Charge Minister on Jan. 24, 2022. But exactly a year later, Gopalaiah has been relieved of Mandya district and is continued as Hassan District in-Charge.

This will be the third stint for Ashok, the sitting  BJP MLA from Padmanabhanagar Assembly segment in Bengaluru, as Mandya District in-Charge Minister, who currently did not hold responsibility as in-Charge Minister of any district.

Ashok had previously served as Mandya Minister first after Ramachandragowda had to quit Cabinet following charges against him when B.S. Yediyurappa-led BJP Government came to power in 2008 and for the second time in 2019, when Yediyurappa again formed the Government following the collapse of the JD(S)-Congress Coalition Government. But months later, Ashok had to hand over the Mandya in-Charge to K.C. Narayangowda, Minister for Sports and Silk and MLA from K.R. Pet, following a Government decision.

During the current Assembly term starting from May 2018, Mandya district has seen five District in-Charge Ministers, with the first one being C.S. Puttaraju of the JD(S) who was a Minister in the JD(S)-Congress Coalition Government, followed by R. Ashok, K.C. Narayanagowda, K. Gopalaiah, all of the BJP  and now again R. Ashok, who is returning for the third time when the Assembly poll is                                        round the corner.