Daijiworld News Network - Puttur (GA)

Puttur, Jun 22: MLA Shakuntala Shetty has once again been ignored in the just concluded ministry expansion in the state. Though she is the only elected woman MLA from BJP in the state, a ministerial berth has been eluding her eversince BJP-JD (S) coalition government came to power in the state.

She was expected to be in the state ministry right in the beginning.  Her name was finalized and approved by senior party leaders in Delhi.  Stage was all set for her to become the minister at the very first instance of ministry expansion after the government came to existence.  But owing to some high level politics Bantwal MLA whose name was not in any list became the minister overnight.

Thereafter Shakuntala Shetty was expected to be included in the cabinet during the next expansion.  But deputy chief minister wanted MLC Shobha Karandlaje (ironically she too hails from Puttur) to be made minister.  However, this was opposed by all and sundry.  So at the last moment the decision to induct Shobha into the cabinet was left out.  Even the cabinet expansion was postponed.

BJP has never made its stand clear on the representation of women in the ministry.  Senior leaders are tight-lipped over the issue.  It seems that after the Shobha Karandlaje issue, the state BJP heads have even thought of not giving chance to women in the cabinet.  So it is now almost sure that neither Shobha nor Shakuntala would be inducted in the cabinet in immediate future.

Cabinet Post - Always a 'No' for Puttur:

When it comes to ministerial post, it seems that Puttur is always unlucky.  Excect one rare example of 1960s, none of the MLAs from Puttur have managed to get into state cabinet.

Though K Ram Bhat was twice elected MLA from Puttur representing BJP, he never became a minister because BJP was never in power during those days.  It was the same with Vinay Kumar Sorake.  He was elected MLA twice representing Congress.  But both the times a non-Congress government was in power.  During the next elections Sorake contested for MP seat from Udupi and won a ticket to Delhi.  But in Delhi Congress lost the power and NDA came to power.  So Sorake lost a possible ministerial berth there.

Meanwhile Congress came to power in the state and Sorake was unlucky since he was elected MP.  But Puttur seat was won by D V Sadanand Gowda of BJP.  He won it for the second time too.  But both the times non-BJP government was at the helm in the state.  So Puttur once again was not represented in the cabinet.

In the last elections D V Sadanand Gowda contested for MP seat from Mangalore and won.  Meanwhile BJP government came to power in the state.  So if he was still a MLA he could have been an automatic choice for ministerial post. Though he won MP seat and went to Delhi, NDA had tasted defeat and Congress led UPA had come to power in Delhi.  This means a double loss to him.

Back in Puttur, Shakuntala Shetty won the MLA elections.  However, owing to some unseen reasons, she has been denied a place in the state cabinet.  So call it loss for Shakuntala Shetty or fate of Puttur constituency, its quite sure that Puttur will not be represented in the State Cabinate in the near future.