Mysuru region, including Mysuru and adjoining districts of Chamarajanagar, Kodagu and Hassan, which did not have representation in the B.S. Yediyurappa Cabinet for the last two years, has not been represented in the newly sworn in Council of Ministers of Basavaraj Bommai’s government either.
However, the inclusion of K.R. Pet MLA K.C. Narayana Gowda has ensured representation to Mandya district.
The BJP had three MLAs in Mysuru district – S.A. Ramdas representing Krishnaraja Assembly segment, L .Nagendra representing Chamaraja, and Harshavardhan representing Nanjangud. While the party had one MLA – Niranjan Kumar representing Gundlupet – in Chamarajanagar district, it has two – K.G. Bopaiah representing Virajpet and Appachu Ranjan representing Madikeri. Mr Preetham Gowda is the lone MLA representing the saffron party in Hassan district.
But, all the four districts have been neglected in the recent Ministry-making exercise. Though BJP leaders from the region said they were hoping for a berth this time, they admitted that the regional representation in the Ministry had to be overlooked for the sake of political exigencies such as accommodating the new entrants from other parties, who had helped form the BJP government two years ago.
Mr. Ramdas, a former Minister, who was among the aspirants, said his followers have time and again complained about absence of representation to Mysuru district in the BJP government’s Cabinet.
In the absence of any Minister from the district in the Yediyurappa government, the responsibility of Minister in charge of the district had been entrusted to Ministers from Bengaluru City. V. Somanna, representing Govindarajanagar constituency, was given the job first and was succeeded by S.T. Somashekar, who represents Yeshwantpur.
