Bhatkal: Karnataka's cabinet expansion took an unexpected turn at the last moment after Bhatkal Congress MLA Mankal S. Vaidya, who was widely expected to be inducted into the ministry, was left out of the final list.
Senior Congress leader S.S. Mallikarjun was instead inducted into the state Cabinet, leaving Uttara Kannada district without representation in this phase of the cabinet expansion.
Ahead of Monday's cabinet expansion, a letter from AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal addressed to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar went viral on social media. The letter recommended the induction of 20 MLAs into the Cabinet, and Mankal S. Vaidya's name was among those included. However, the Congress high command reportedly made last-minute changes to the final list, with senior leader S.S. Mallikarjun replacing Vaidya.
Uttara Kannada district has four Congress MLAs. According to party sources, senior leaders including R.V. Deshpande, Mankal S. Vaidya and Satish Sail had lobbied with the party's central leadership for a Cabinet berth. Political circles said that Deshpande and Vaidya had emerged as the strongest contenders during the final round of deliberations.
Vaidya's supporters were hopeful that he would be accommodated in the Cabinet, particularly as he was expected to represent the fishing community. However, a last-minute change to the list dashed those expectations, with senior Congress leader S.S. Mallikarjun, MLA from Davanagere North, being inducted into the Cabinet.