Inclusion of the controversial Baburao Chinchansur, who is facing charges of owning assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, and Shivaraj Tangadagi has raised eyebrows in political circles.
While Mr. Chinchansur was elected from Gurmitkal in Yadgir district in the Assembly elections, Mr. Tangadagi won from Kanakagiri in Koppal district.
The Lokayukta police had raided the houses, educational institution, and business premises of Mr. Chinchansur after the Lokayukta court admitted a private complaint against him.
Including Mr. Chinchansur in the Ministry while overlooking the claims of the former Minister A.B. Maalakaraddy (Yadgir) and Raja Venkatappa Naik, three-time MLA for Surpur in Yadgir district, has surprised many.
Besides, Mr. Chinchansur is considered an outsider by party workers as he is from Gulbarga district.
The factor that worked in favour of Mr. Chinchansur was that he is only Congress MLA of the Kabbaliga community to get elected.
Congress workers ransacked the district party office in Yadgir and set the furniture afire in protest against the non-inclusion of Dr. Maalakaraddy in the Ministry.
Similarly, the inclusion of Mr. Tangadagi in the Ministry while ignoring the claims of senior party leaders, including Basavaraj Rayaraddi, elected from Yelburga, has not gone well with the Congress workers in the district.
Congress leaders in the district point out that Mr. Tangadagi, who was with the BJP, joined the party just before the Assembly elections. He should not have been preferred as he was also responsible for the BJP forming the government in 2008.
Mr. Tangadagi contested as a Congress rebel in 2008 Assembly elections and was Minister in the B.S. Yeddyurappa Cabinet.
Preferring him over Mr. Rayaraddi has not gone down well with the party workers in the district.
Also, none from Raichur and Bidar made it to the Ministry.
There were expectations that four-time MP Venkatesh Naik, elected to the Assembly from Deodurg in Raichur district, and three-time MLA Rajashekar Patil, elected from Humnabad in Bidar district, would make it to the Ministry.
Leaving out six-time MLA Malikayya Guttedar, considered close to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, also caused surprise. However, the inclusion of three-time MLA Sharanprakash Patil and Qamar-ul Islam has warmed the hearts of Congress workers in Gulbarga district.
In the BJP government, there was only one representation from Gulbarga district, while Bidar and Raichur went unrepresented in the Ministry.
