Bhatkal MLA Mankal Vaidya Named Deputy Speaker, Gets Cabinet Rank
Two key appointments from Uttara Kannada emerge as Karnataka completes the long awaited cabinet portfolio allocation.
Bhatkal: After a long wait, the Karnataka government led by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has completed the allocation of ministerial portfolios. Two significant decisions have emerged concerning Uttara Kannada district.
Bhatkal MLA Mankal Vaidya has not been included in the new ministerial team. Instead, he has been appointed Deputy Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
The appointment is being viewed as politically significant in Bhatkal and surrounding areas. Vaidya had previously served as a minister in the state government, handling the Fisheries, Ports and Inland Water Transport portfolios.
Meanwhile, veteran politician R.V. Deshpande has been given Cabinet rank while continuing as Chairman of the Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission.
Deshpande, a nine time MLA from the Haliyal constituency, is among Karnataka’s most experienced political leaders. His appointment as Chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission has been listed separately from the allocation of portfolios to the new ministers.
The latest cabinet arrangement also sees Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar retaining several important departments, including the Finance portfolio. Other ministers have been assigned departments such as Social Welfare, Minority Welfare, Health, Education, Irrigation, Forests, Labour and Employment.
With the new appointments, Mankal Vaidya’s elevation as Deputy Speaker and R.V. Deshpande’s continuation as head of the Administrative Reforms Commission with Cabinet rank have emerged as two of the key political decisions concerning Uttara Kannada.