To placate, keep dissent in check, Congress govt in Karnataka appoints board, corporation chiefs

After discussions stretching months, as many as 34 Congress MLAs in Karnataka who did not make it to the Cabinet last year were on Friday appointed chairpersons of boards and corporations run by the state government.

Several close associates of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar are among the legislators chosen to head the state boards and corporations, according to a list released by the government. These appointments are aimed at controlling the differences within the state unit ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

MLAs S R Srinivas (Gubbi) and K M Shivalingegowda (Arasikere) who were elected on Congress tickets after leaving the Janata Dal (Secular) have been given important roles as the heads of the Karnataka Road Transport Corporation and the Karnataka Housing Board respectively. Both MLAs are considered to be close to Siddaramaiah.

The CM’s other close associates who made it to the list are Chamarajanagara MLA C Puttarangashetty who got the post of Mysore Sales International Ltd chairperson, as well as H.D Kote MLA Anil Chikamadu who has been given the post of state Jungle Lodges and Resorts chairperson.

Among the prominent appointments from the camp of D K Shivakumar are Shantinagar MLA N A Harris, given the charge of the Bengaluru Development Authority; Magadi MLA H C Balakrishna who is now in charge of the Karnataka Road Development Board; and Dharwad (Rural) MLA Vinay Kulkarni who has been allotted the charge of the Karnataka Water Supply and Sewerage Board.

Two women MLAs, Kaneez Fathima from Gulabarga North and Roopakala M from the Kolar Gold Field (SC), have been appointed chairpersons of the Karnataka Silk Industries Board and the Karnataka Small Scale Industries Development Board,