Silvester D’Souza 

Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (EP) 

Kundapur, Aug 20: Karnataka finally got a cabinet with 17 ministers. However, Kundapur MLA Halady Srinivas Shetty, being left out from the cabinet has drawn flak from people of coastal Karnataka. 

Halady, who has served as an MLA for five terms, was an aspirant for the minister’s post. Known to be a credible politician, Halady has always prioritized nationalism and social justice. 

In a matter of fact, when Kundapur faced incessant rains, Halady who is a party loyalist visited Bengaluru to help BJP in proving majority in the floor test. Despite the political turmoil in state politics, Halady did not lose focus on the issues faced by the people of Kundapur. Hence, the people from the region were sure that the MLA will receive a ministerial berth and the news he was left out from the cabinet has come as a shock.

Allegations are also popping up that the state and national BJP has cheated Bunts community by depriving a post to the Kundapur MLA. Another source states, that Halady lost the opportunity as he did not lobby for the ministerial post and was more focused on the problems his constituency faced. 

Halady’s winning margin increases in every election. He has won elections five times. He is famed to donate what he has among the poor and is known to run a transparent administration. 

Yediyurappa and Halady share a cordial relationship. Yediyurappa and Shobha used to meet Halady every time during their visit to Udupi even when Halady was an independent MLA. 

Some BJP activists have said that cheating him is as good as cheating voters. 

Halady is personally disappointed with the developments. Yediyurappa has included only 17 ministers in the cabinet so far. Another 17 cabinet berths are vacant. The voters have hoped that the CM will give opportunities to eligible MLAs in the next expansion and Halady may find a place among them.