Ballari and Koppal districts were left high and dry with no representation in the Cabinet of the Janata Dal (S)-Congress coalition government.
The expectations that at least one person from each district would be inducted in the ministry were belied.
It is for the first time that Ballari, where six seats have been bagged by Congress, has remained unrepresented in the Cabinet. In the erstwhile Congress government P.T. Parmeshwar Naik and Santosh Lad (the latter hails from the district but represented Kalghatgi in Dharwad district) had shared the ministerial berth.
The names of four legislators – K.C. Kondaiah, sitting MLC (seniormost elected representative who has served as two-time Lok Sabha MP, one term as Rajya Sabha MP and two terms as MLC), E. Tukaram, B. Nagendra, and B.S. Anand Singh (all the three have performed a ‘hat-trick’ by winning three Assembly elections in a row) were doing the rounds and it was believed that one of them would be inducted.
Koppal too has remained unrepresented in the Cabinet. In the erstwhile Congress government Shivaraj Tangadagi and Basavaraj Rayaraddi had served as Ministers on rotation.
People are hopeful that Ballari and Koppal districts would get representation during the Cabinet expansion.