After exclusion from Cabinet, senior Congress MLAs of Mysuru hold meeting

Three senior Congress MLAs from Mysuru district, who were left out of the recently expanded Cabinet, met in the city on Tuesday to chart their future course of action.

The three MLAs — H.C. Mahadevappa, K.Venkatesh and Tanveer Sait, all from former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s native Mysuru district — were closeted with each other at Government House in the city for about an hour, sparking curiosity among political observers.

While Mr. Mahadevappa and Mr. Venkatesh are considered camp followers of Mr. Siddaramaiah, Mr. Sait has identified himself with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

The meeting of the disgruntled MLAs, all former Ministers, comes amid continuing demonstrations by Mr. Sait’s supporters, who staged a road blockade at Moulana Abul Kalam Azad Circle, popularly known as Highway Circle, and took out a torchlight rally from FTS Circle on Monday evening.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr. Sait said the three senior MLAs discussed the political situation arising out of the “confusion” over the recent Cabinet expansion. “We discussed the steps we should take in this regard in the coming days,” he said.

Ruling out any compromise with their loyalty to the party, Mr. Sait said all three MLAs were unanimous in their dissatisfaction over the under-representation of Mysuru district in the Cabinet.

“We are neither under the illusion that all is well in the party, nor disheartened that all is ruined,” he said.

Responding to questions, Mr. Sait declined to hold any single leader responsible for their exclusion from the Cabinet, but maintained that the party leadership had not taken a decision in the interest of Mysuru district’s growth and development.

He said the three of them should have come together earlier, but had nevertheless joined hands now. “We will together write a new chapter for the region’s progress,” he said.

Former Minister and Periyapatna MLA K.Venkatesh pointed out that Mysuru district, which once had two Ministers in addition to the Chief Minister, is now represented by a lone Minister. “They should have taken one or two more into the Ministry,” he said.

He added that the three senior MLAs would take up the matter of the district’s under-representation with the party leadership.

Former Minister and T. Narasipura MLA H.C. Mahadevappa declined to answer questions on the politics of the issue. However, responding to one query, he said a person who could not find a berth in the Cabinet could still become Chief Minister, provided they possessed the capability and the personality for it.