Karnataka: Ministers in a tangle over cherry-picking of districts

BENGALURU: The process of allocating responsibilities for various districts to the ministers has been delayed due to reported wranglings within the governing Congress party over control of strategic districts such as Bengaluru Urban. A final notification is expected in a couple of days.
Officials in theCM's office said changes had to be made to the initial list prepared by the CM as some ministers were lobbying hard to be put in charge of districts of their choice.
It has been more than ten days since CM Siddaramaiah expanded his cabinet by filling up all the 34 berths and allocating portfolios. However, he is taking time to put ministers in charge of specific districts primarily owing to differences among his cabinet colleagues over allocation.
A major bone of contention is the Bengaluru Urban district, as deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru development portfolio, is insistent on retaining control over Bengaluru Urban as the district in-charge - a move that has not gone down well with a section of ministers who are also keen on the role. There are also differences within the party over the choice of ministers in-charge for Tumakuru, Bidar and Mysuru districts.
According to a leaked document, energy minister KJ Gerogre has been put in charge of Bengaluru, given that he was earlier the Bengaluru development minister and was in-charge of the district in the previous Siddaramaiah-led government. Municipal administration minister Rahim Khan has been given responsibility for Bidar, while Tumakuru has been assigned to cooperation minister KN Rajanna. Mysuru has gone to social welfare minister HC Mahadevappa.
However, these choices triggered much heartburn within the party, with opposing camps of ministers locking horns to wrest control of the districts they are eyeing.
But none of these can probably match the high-stakes power play currently on for Bengaluru Urban.
"It goes without saying that the Bengaluru development minister will take charge of the urban district too. As I am focusing on the steps taken to revive the glory of Bengaluru and restore the city's wrecked infrastructure, I have already started working on it," said Shivakumar while justifying his claim. Denying that there is any delay in the allocation of districts to ministers, the deputy CM further said the issue would be discussed with the chief minister, "who will take a final call".
Interestingly, while George himself seems to have come to terms with the fact that Bengaluru Urban should be assigned to the Bengaluru development minister (read Shivakumar), the Siddaramaiah camp is still insisting that the issue is yet to be decided.
"It is not necessary that a minister holds both, the Bengaluru development ministry as well as responsibility for the Bengaluru Urban district since it's not a convention. It is the chief minister's prerogative to allocate ministerial portfolios and responsibilities for the districts," reasoned Naseer Ahmed, the CM's political secretary.