Chikkamagaluru: The district that gave a political rebirth to former prime minister Indira Gandhi and was once a Congress stronghold is now facing a ministerial drought.Chikkamagaluru, which had three cabinet ministers in 1999, has not had a single MLA inducted into the state cabinet since 2004. Despite Congress winning all five assembly seats in the district in 2023, no MLA could make it to the ministry.When SM Krishna was the chief minister, three MLAs from Chikkamagaluru – CG Sageer Ahmed from Chikkamagaluru Assembly segment, Motamma from Mudigere assembly segment, and DB Chandregowda from Sringeri assembly segment – were made ministers.The last minister from the district was Chandre Gowda. Since then, for 22 years, no Congress MLA from Chikkamagaluru has found a place in the cabinet. In 2023 assembly election, under the leadership of district Congress unit president KP Amshumanth, the party made a clean sweep, winning all five segments.HD Thammaiah from Chikkamagaluru, Nayana Motamma, daughter of former minister Motamma, from Mudigere, TD Rajegowda from Sringeri, GH Srinivas from Tarikere, and KS Anand from Kadur won the seats. Yet, when the previous chief minister Siddaramaiah formed his cabinet in 2023 and even during the subsequent expansions, Chikkamagaluru drew a blank.With the new chief minister DK Shivakumar talking strategies to strengthen the party through innovative ideas, local leaders had hoped for at least one berth from the district. But the wait continues.Congress workers point out that the district delivered when it mattered. “In 1978, Chikkamagaluru sent Indira Gandhi to Lok Sabha and revived the party nationally. In 2023, we gave all five seats. But we have no voice in the cabinet,” said senior Congress leader, HL Deepak.The district has major issues pending – coffee growers’ crisis, human-wild animal conflict in Mudigere and Sringeri, disease for areca, among the others. In addition, issues between forest and farmers, Bagir Hukum and others have been growing bigger with each passing day. And a minister from the district would be a great boon for Malnad, he added.MLAs representing the district have all the qualities to be minister. MLA Rajegowda and MLA Srinivas were elected for a second time and the duo have a good knowledge about the district. One of them should be given a suitable portfolio, he stated.Rajegowda has served as ZP member twice and also was ZP president for one term. He knows the problems of both Malnad and the dry region, said activist Arun.Political observers are of the opinion that Congress high command’s focus on balancing caste and regional equations in Old Mysuru, Kittur-Karnataka and Kalyana-Karnataka has left Malnad districts out. For a district that shaped national politics in 1978, the current ministerial drought is a bitter pill.
