Finally, Dharwad district got a representation in the State Council of Ministers with the induction of Dharwad MLA Vinay Kulkarni as a Minister of State on Thursday.
Dharwad enjoyed significant clout in the State politics during the BJP rule. Hubballi-Dharwad Central MLA Jagadish Shettar was initially the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister and later became the Chief Minister in 2012.
However, Dharwad lost its significance in politics after the Congress came to power.
Although Kalghatagi MLA Santosh Lad was inducted into the ministry as the Minister for Infrastructure Development, his stint was short-lived as he had to resign after a few months.
When in power, his long absence from the district had come under scanner. After Mr. Lad’s resignation, the district had no representation in the Council of Ministers.
Mr. Kulkarni, who represents Dharwad Assembly Constituency, is the first legislator from this constituency to become a Minister. None of the 13 MLAs who were elected from this constituency earlier could become ministers.
Mr. Kulkarni has been stressing on the need for rain water harvesting and taking up minor irrigation projects to solve drinking water problems.
It remains to be seen whether Mr. Kulkarni succeeds in resolving some of the key issues of the district.
