Karnataka CM appoints 34 Congress legislators as heads of state-run boards and corproations

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday appointed 34 ruling Congress legislators as heads of various state-run boards and corporations.

The postings with cabinet ranking will be for a tenure of two years or until further orders, an official notification said.

The government is yet to announce the list of party workers to be appointed to such posts.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had recently said 36 legislators and 39 party workers will be accommodated in such appointments.

Among the appointments announced today, key ones include — Gubbi MLA S R Srinivas as Chairman of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, Shantinagar MLA N A Haris as chairman of Bangalore Development Authority, Chamarajanagara MLA C Puttarangashetty as Chairman of Mysore Sales International Limited, Dharwad MLA Vinay Kulkarni as Chairman of Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board, Arsikere MLA K M Shivalinge Gowda as Chairman of Karnataka Housing Board, and Hosakote MLA Sharath Kumar Bache Gowda as Chairman of Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation.

There has been some disgruntlement and growing impatience within a section of the Congress party, with legislators, who could not make it to the Ministry and were keenly aspiring for the key posts in boards and corporations, unhappy about the delay in appointments.

Also many party men were upset over the delay in rewarding loyal workers, noting that the Congress has been in power for more than seven months now.

Appointments to boards and corporations was said to be among the issues on which Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had certain differences of opinion, according to party sources.