From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Belagavi, Dec 12: Senior Congress leader from coastal Karnataka K Prathapchandra Shetty, who became a last minute surprise choice, has been unanimously elected as the Chairman of the State legislative council on Wednesday, December 12.
The outgoing pro-tem Chairman Basavaraj Horatti of the JD(S) congratulated the new Chairman Shetty.
With this Kannada and Culture Minister as well as cinema actor Jayamala, who is the Leader of the House, BJP’s Leader of Opposition Kota Srinivas Poojary, and Chairman Pratap Chandra Shetty, all the three key positions in the Council go to coastal part of Karnataka.
Shetty (69), a former banker from Halady village in Kundapur taluk, is a three-time MLC and a four-time MLA. He represented Kundapur constituency in the 1983, the 1985, the 1989, and the 1994 assemblies on Congress ticket.
The choice of Shetty is being seen within Congress circles as a setback to Siddaramaiah, who had strongly lobbied for former Minister S R Patil and the latter’s name had been finalised before Siddaramaiah left on a foreign tour before commencement of the short legislature session in Belagavi.
Though the Congress got the post, the leaders were keen on nominating former Minister S R Patil, a close aide of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, to the post.
However, a few party leaders justified the selection of Shetty, who had the strong backing from Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara, citing the decision would help the party to galvanise its workers during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in coastal Karnataka.
Before going on the foreign tour, it is learnt that Siddaramaiah had recommended the name of S R Patil, who helped him win in the assembly polls against the BJP’s B Sriramulu in Badami in north Karnataka.
Sources said former Union Minister Oscar Fernandes, who is in the inner circle of the Congress High Command, played a key role in getting Shetty the coveted post.
The JD(S) leader Horatti is likely to be inducted into the Cabinet during the next phase of expansion, sources said.
The coalition partners have decided to expand the state cabinet soon after the winter session of the legislature in Belagavi. There is, however, speculation that the cabinet expansion may be put off until after the May 2019 lok sabha polls, though leaders of both JD(S) and Congress are keen to complete the exercise after the current legislature session.