BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is likely to appoint district in-charge ministers soon, but the process may not be easy as some districts have more than one contender. It is interesting to see whether Siddaramaiah will keep Bengaluru in-charge or allot it to Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who has the Bengaluru development portfolio. Shivakumar could also be asked to take care of Ramanagara, as the Kanakapura Assembly constituency that he represents falls within the district.
Veterans, like Transport Minister Ramalingareddy, who was said to be not happy with the portfolio, and Energy Minister KJ George could vie for Bengaluru Urban district as they are from the city, sources said. Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundurao, Revenue Minister Krishn Byre Gowda and Housing, Wakf and Minority Welfare Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, who too are from Bengaluru, may not stake claim to the post. Even Urban Development and Town Planning Minister Byrathi Suresh will not be interested, the sources added.
Mangaluru does not have any minister to represent it, and it could be assigned to one of the seven ministers from Bengaluru, most likely KJ George, the sources said.
Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi is likely to get Belagavi, while Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi R Hebbalkar, who too is from the district, is eyeing Hubballi-Dharwad. But she could face competition from Labour Minister and Kalaghatagi MLA Santhosh L Lad, who is a close confidant of the chief minister.
Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre and Municipal Administration Minister Rahim Khan are in the race for Bidar, while RDPR Minister Priyank Kharge and Medical Education Minister Dr Sharanaprakash Patil are seeking Kalaburagi.
Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara is likely to get Tumakuru district in-charge, but Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna, who is close to Siddaramaiah, too has also thrown in his hat. For Mysuru, there seems to be a fight between Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh and Social Welfare Minister HC Mahadevappa, who may get Chamarajanagar district if he misses his first preference.
Both Large and Medium Industries Minister MB Patil and Textiles Minister Shivanand Patil are from Vijayapura, but Patil has higher chances of getting the charge of the district.
Likely allocation include Fisheries Minister Mankal Vaidya (Uttara Kannada), Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa (Shivamogga), Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar (Chikkaballapur), Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa (Kolar), Agriculture Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy (Mandya) and Mines and Geology Minister SS Mallikarjun (Davanagere).