AS Ponnanna, former Siddaramaiah legal advisor, named Political Secretary to Karnataka CM
Bengaluru, August 12
The Karnataka government on Wednesday appointed Congress MLA from Virajpet, AS Ponnanna, as the political secretary to Chief Minister DK Shivakumar with a cabinet minister's status.
According to an official statement, Ponnanna, who represents the Virajpet Assembly constituency, has been appointed to the post with immediate effect.
Ponnanna is a senior Congress leader, former legal advisor to Siddaramaiah and currently represents Virajpet in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
The notification was issued by the Karnataka government's Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms.
The development comes days after 20 new MLAs took oath as ministers on August 3, expanding the Karnataka Cabinet to its full strength.
Those sworn in as ministers included P M Narendraswamy, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Rudrappa Lamani, K S Basavanthappa, B Nagendra, T Raghumoorthy, B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rizwan Arshad, Santosh Lad, Madhu Bangarappa, Putturangashetty, S S Mallikarjun, Dr Ajay Singh, N Chaluvaraya Swamy, K M Shivalinge Gowda, H C Balakrishna, Gayathri Shanthegowda, Basavaraj Rayareddi, Vijayanand Kashappanavar and Laxman Savadi.
Ponnanna's name was not included in the Cabinet expansion list. However, the latest appointment comes after Shivakumar had promised to assign "appropriate responsibilities" to MLAs who were not inducted into the Cabinet.
The appointment is being seen as part of the government's move to accommodate party leaders who were left out of the Cabinet expansion.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Karnataka politics is all about balancing communities and regions. Ponnanna from Kodagu region deserves this position. The Congress government is trying to keep all factions happy. But I hope this doesn't become another example of too many posts being created just for political accommodation. The state already has many ministers!
This is typical Congress style - make promises before elections, then create fancy posts to satisfy leaders after. Ponnanna being a Siddaramaiah loyalist and now getting a position under Shivakumar's government is interesting. Wonder how the internal dynamics will play out. Politics is indeed strange bedfellows. 😅
AS Ponnanna is a well-respected lawyer and has served the people of Virajpet well. Giving him Political Secretary role is a smart way to use his legal expertise and political experience. I just hope this doesn't become an unnecessary burden on the state exchequer. Every appointment should be need-based, not just reward-based.
Bengaluru-news always interesting! Ponnanna ji has been a loyal soldier of Congress for decades. While some might question the timing of this appointment, it's good that the CM is keeping his word about giving responsibilities to those left out. Better to have a proper role than to be left feeling unwanted. Good luck to him! 👍
Seeing the bigger picture, Congress is keeping everyone together ahead of upcoming elections. AS Ponnanna being a senior advocate and former legal advisor will be valuable in political strategy. But one must ask - are we creating too many government positions? The taxpayers' money should go to development, not just political appointments. Just saying...