Jnanendra becomes minister at last, KSE retains post

At last, the four-time MLA from Thirthahalli assembly constituency Aaraga Jnanendra has become a minister in state cabinet headed by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai after a political career spanning over four decades.

So far, he was the only BJP legislator and senior leader in Shivamogga district who had not become minister despite winning the assembly polls four times. With this, his wish to become part of the state cabinet has been fulfilled, and workers of the party in Thirthahalli taluk are on cloud nine.

For the first time, a Thirthahalli representative in the legislative assembly has received representation in the BJP-led government in Karnataka.

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Senior leader K S Eshwarappa has succeeded in retaining the minister post. With this, he proved that he still holds the command in the party. Many seers and orgnaisations had demanded the deputy chief minister post for him. It was considered as Eshwarappa's strategy to put pressure on BJP top brass to include him in the Bommai-led cabinet.

Jnanendra had registered hat-trick victory from 1994 to 2004. He had registered his maiden victory on the BJP ticket from Thirthahalli constituency in 1994 by securing 31,440 votes. He had improved his performance in the 1999 polls by securing 33,778 votes. In 2004, he registered a hat-trick victory by securing 47,843 votes.

But he had lost the assembly polls in 2008 and 2014 against Kimmane Ratnakar. He again emerged victorious in the 2018 assembly polls. But for his bad luck, the party did not get a complete majority. So, BJP did not form its own government.

Also read: Basavaraj Bommai at helm: Full list of Karnataka Cabinet ministers

After a gap of one year, B S Yediyurappa became the chief minister after JD(S)-Congress-led government was defeated in the trust vote. But he was not accommodated in the cabinet as legislators who had embraced BJP by quitting Congress and JD(S) had to be given preference. However, he was appointed head of the Karnataka Housing Board.

Of the seven assembly constituencies in the district, six are represented by BJP while Bhadravathi is represented by Congress legislator B K Sangamesh. Among them, except K B Ashok Naik of Shivamogga Rural assembly constituency, a first-time MLA, the remaining legislators -- K S Eshwarappa of Shivamogga Urban, B S Yediyurappa of Shikaripur, H Halappa of Sagar, Kumar Bangarappa of Sorab -- had become minister at least once in their political career. Now, Jnanendra also joints the list of legislators who went on to become ministers from the district.