BANGALORE: Karnataka has been rewarded with good portfolios by Prime MinisterManmohan Singh and AICC Sonia Gandhi for voting Congress to power in the state.
In a run-up to LokSabha polls, Mallikarjuna MKharge has been elevated and given all important railways from labour ministry and OscarFernandes, close confidante of Sonia, has been given roads and highways.
With the elevation of Kharge, induction of Oscar and M Veerappa Moily already in charge of the giant portfolio of petroleum and natural gas, Karnataka has got the lion share big and all important portfolios. With only six Lok Sabha seats from Karnataka, the state is represented by five minister including KH Muniyappa (minister of state with independent charge of micro, medium and small enterprise (MSME) and K Rahman Khan (minority affairs minister).
Almost all the regions of the state are well-represented in the Congress set up, particularly in Singh's ministry. Kharge, who lost the race to Siddaramaiah for the post of chief minister recently, has been elevated. This apart, the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, where Kharge comes from, has given good number of seats to Congress in the recently held assembly polls.
Similarly, as coastal belt too supports Congress, Oscar has been awarded with plump portfolio. Bayaluseeme has been represented by Moily and Siddaramaiah himself is representing Mysore-Karnataka.
Kharge will be the seventh railway minister from the state. The others were:
HC Dasappa (1963-64); CM Poonacha (1967-69); Kengal Hanumanthaiah (1971-72); TM Ananth Pai (1972-73); CK Jaffer Sharief from Bangalore (Tenure: 1991-95); Basanagouda Yatnal (2003-2004) and KH Muniyappa (2009-2012).