Puttur: Shakuntala Shetty has bright chance of becoming minister

Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (SP)

Puttur, May 10: In view of the fact that Congress supremo, Sonia Gandhi, has been emphasizing the need to give proper representation to women candidates at all levels, newly elected Congress MLA from Puttur, Shakuntala Shetty, is almost certain to become a minister. In fact, all the three women candidates elected as legislators this time may be given good postings including ministerial berths.

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If she becomes a minister, Shakuntala will be creating a record, as no Congress legislators from here had become a minister ever. Even during her first term as MLA, Shakuntala, it is rumoured, was about to become a minister, but because of the interference of other prominent leaders from the region, she lost the race. It may be recalled that Shobha Karandlaje happened to be the only woman minister in BJP cabinet.

When D V Sadananda Gowda was MLA from here, Congress government was ruling the state. When Vinay Kumar Sorake became the legislator, Janata Party government was at the helm. Hence both of them had lost the chance to become ministers.

Although Mallika Prasad got elected from Puttur, she was of low profile, and never aspired for any post. With the Congress government being formed at Bangalore, and with Puttur electing a Congress member, and also Puttur being a strategic constituency, Shakuntala Shetty has a bright chance of making it to the ministry, political pundits claim. She also gets additional credit for defeating BJP after a long period from Puttur.

Oscar, Vinay Kumar Sorake and other leaders, who had been instrumental in giving the ticket from Puttur to Shakuntala Shetty, are likely to bring pressure on the concerned to make her a minister. She happens to be the only woman candidate to have won from the twin-districts and has the experience of having worked for a term as MLA.