UT Khadar taking selfie with Congress workers after his victory as MLA from Mangaluru constituency. , Photo Credit: HS Manjunath
With the Congress not able to make inroads in undivided Dakshina Kannada in the assembly polls, speculations are rife that two of its senior leaders – five-time MLA from Mangaluru UT Khadar and MLC Manjunath Bhandari – may be inducted into the cabinet before reviving the party. may be included. Lok Sabha elections next year.
Congress sources said party MLC and Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee president K.K. Harish Kumar is unlikely to be included in the cabinet due to the seniority of former Rajya Sabha member and now MLC BK Hariprasad. Both of them belong to the Billawa community. Besides, Mr. Kumar’s turn will end in a year.
Mr. Bhandari represents the local authorities’ constituency of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in the Legislative Council. Shri Khader was a minister in the Congress government led by Siddaramaiah and the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress coalition government led by HD Kumaraswamy. He has held the portfolios of Health, Urban Development, Food and Civil Supplies and Housing.
The ‘coastal focus’ will become crucial for the party if it wants to win Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha seats from the BJP.
Of the total 19 assembly seats in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts, six are with the Congress while 13 are with the BJP. With the BJP winning all five seats in Udupi district for the second time in a row, the Congress has no representation in the assembly from Udupi. Its candidate from Puttur in Dakshina Kannada, Ashok Kumar Rai, is a novice. The party has four seats in Uttara Kannada, of which former minister RV Deshpande (Haliyal) is the senior-most, who is likely to be re-inducted into the cabinet. Manakal Vaidya (Bhatkal) and Satish Sail (Karwar) are other seniors in Uttara Kannada.
It is yet to be seen whether the party will implement a separate charter for the development of Coastal Karnataka as announced before the assembly elections.
The charter included restructuring the Coastal Development Authority as a statutory body with an annual budgetary allocation of ₹2,500 crore to generate employment and investment opportunities, promoting Mangaluru as the next hub for IT and apparel industries, and setting up ‘Narayana Guru’. development’ is included. Board with an annual outlay of ₹250 crore for the rehabilitation of those involved in the preparation of liquor and shendi (a drink extracted from the sap of the Ichlu palm tree). Similarly, Bunts Development Board has been promised with an annual outlay of Rs 250 crore. An insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh has been assured to each fisheries worker of the Mogaveera community, while an interest-free loan of Rs 1 lakh has been assured for fisherwomen.