Ballari: Of the six Congress MLAs from Ballari district, Mr P.T. Parameshwar Naik and Mr E. Tukaram have become ministers, much to the chagrin of the other four. It’s rumoured that these MLAs are in touch with the disgruntled former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, who has reportedly met BJP leaders in Delhi.
The disappointment was obvious when none of the four Congress MLAs – Mr Anand Singh from Hosapete, Mr B. Nagendra from Ballari (ST), Mr Bhima Naik from H.B. Halli and Mr J.N. Ganesh from Kampli – took part in a function to honour newly appointed cabinet ministers Satish Jarkiholi and Tukaram at a party event in Hosapete on Saturday.
“It’s true that the MLAs are upset with former minister Santosh Lad and former CM Siddaramaiah as they did not get the ministerial berths as promised when they agreed to join the Congress from BJP. But they will not take a decision on quitting the party till the Lok Sabha polls in mid-2019,” said sources close to the MLAs.
