The Hindu : Karnataka News : Many veterans and some new faces in Council of Ministers

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Sunday, Jun 06, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Many veterans and some new faces in Council of Ministers

By A. Jayaram

BANGALORE, JUNE 5. The Congress leader M. Mallikarjun Kharge, who was the first to be sworn in as a Cabinet Minister today, will be number three in the new Cabinet after the Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah. Mr. Kharge was number two in the S.M. Krishna Cabinet.

One of the most enduring political leaders of the State, he was one of those in the forefront for heading the new coalition team. Mr. Kharge missed the top post in 1999 also, although he was the Leader of the Opposition in the 10th Assembly.

Beginning his career in the Republican Party, Mr. Kharge has been steadfast in his loyalty to the Congress led by the Nehru-Indira Gandhi family as is the case with the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh. He has kept himself clear of political controversies within the Congress. Mr. Kharge was the Home Minister in the previous Government. He first came into the limelight when he headed a commission on municipal finances in the mid-Seventies. The then Chief Minister, the late Devaraj Urs, recognised his talents and appointed him Minister of State for Primary Education. Mr. Kharge later served in all the Congress Governments. He has been elected for the eighth time from Gurmitkal constituency in Gulbarga district. Mr. Kharge, who will be 62 next month, is one of the senior political leaders of the State.

Panduranga Rao Ganesh Rao Sindhia, who was sworn in today as a Cabinet Minister, has been one of the pillars of the Janata Dal in the State. He was perhaps the most prominent Opposition member of the previous Assembly and had headed the Janata Dal (U) group before joining the Janata Dal (S).

Mr. Sindhia, who was born in September 1949, is an engineering graduate. He was active in the ABVP and took part in the JP movement. He was imprisoned during the days of the Emergency and Mr. Sindhia is one of the few Janata Dal leaders to have remained loyal to the party organisation throughout. In 1983, Mr. Sindhia made way for Ramakrishna Hegde to get elected to the Assembly from Kanakapura. Known for his hold over his constituency, Mr. Sindhia also helped the former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, to get elected to the Lok Sabha from Kanakapura in a byelection in February 2002. He has been a prominent political leader of the State for over two decades.

M.P. Prakash is another top JD(S) leader to be included in the new team. He has been re-elected from Hadagali in Bellary district. Known for his erudition and oratorical skills in Kannada, Mr. Prakash has been an able parliamentarian. A staunch Janata Dal loyalist like Mr. Sindhia, Mr. Prakash joined the JD(S) from the All-India Progressive Janata Dal. He is known for his mastery of rural development and had held the portfolio of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj in the J.H. Patel Cabinet. His father, P.P. Patil, too was an MLA.

D. Manjunath, who has been elected from Hiriyur in Chitradurga district, is another of the senior politicians of the State from the JD(S). He is a former Chairman of the Legislative Council and has been a Minister in Janata Dal governments. Mr. Manjunath, who began his political career in the Congress, was the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly during 1967-71.

Prakash Babanna Hukkeri of the Congress, one of the new faces in the Cabinet, has been elected for the third time from Sadalga in Belgaum district. He has become a Minister for the first time.

S.R. More (63) has been elected from Dharwad as a Congress candidate. A Minister in the Veerappa Moily Ministry, he has won for the third time.

K. Srinivasa Gowda (JD-S) has been re-elected from Kolar constituency and is becoming a Minister for the first time. He is the brother-in-law of the former JD(U) President, C. Byre Gowda, and is a leading cooperator at the State and national levels. He was President of Krishik Bharati Cooperative. Mr. Srinivasa Gowda, who was born in August 1947, has been elected to the Assembly for the third time. He is one of those who joined the JD(S) after quitting the AIPJD during the days of its disintegration.

H.D. Revanna (JD-S), who is one of the four sons of Mr. Deve Gowda, has been re-elected from Holenarsipur in Hassan district. He is a former Housing Minister of the State. Mr. Revanna began his political career as a member of the erstwhile Hassan Zilla Parishad. Unlike his younger brother, H.D. Kumaraswamy, he maintains a low profile in politics.

Mirajuddin Patel (JD-S), who has been elected from Humnabad in Bidar district, was Minister of State for Prisons in the J.H. Patel Government.

Tanvir Sait (Congress) is the lone Minister of State. He is the son of the former Minister, Aziz Sait. He has been re-elected for the second time from Narasimharaja constituency in Mysore city. He belongs to a prominent family of Mysore. He was first elected in a byelection to the previous Assembly after the death of his father.

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