Khader, sole minister from D.K.

Team Udayavani, Jun 7, 2018, 12:24 PM IST

Mangaluru: U.T.Khader is the only Congress candidate from Mangaluru and Udupi districts who won in the recent Legislative Assembly elections and had now become the sole minister from the two districts after receiving a ministerial berth in the cabinet of the new JD(S)-Congress coalition state government.

BJP showed its dominance by winning the 12 positions of the 13 positions in the two undivided districts during the recent Legislative Assembly elections. By gaining victory in Mangaluru constituency (former Ullal constituency), former minister U.T.Khader saved the honour of Congress in Karavali.

After facing decisive defeat in Karavali, the Congress party leaders are hoping to resurrect the party through Khader’s responsibilities as Minister of city development and Housing.

Political observers have opinioned that the Congress leadership has displayed its faith in Khader by giving him an important ministerial berth in the cabinet instead of the newly elected MLC Harish Kumar who is also the president of D.K.district Congress president and MLC Ivan D’Souza, who is the opposition leader in the Legislative Council.

Law graduate

U.T.Khaser, who is a law graduate, entered the arena of politics through N.S.U.I. group. He became N.S.U.I district chief secretary in 1992-94, district president in 1994-2000 and state vice president in 2000-2001.

He has served as Ullal Block Congress president in 2001, as Akhil Bharat Congress Seva Dal Instructor and K.P.C.C. secretary in 2002, and as the state additional chief organizer of Congress Seva Dal in 2003.

Political path

U.T.Khader’s father U.T.Fareed was the MLA of Ullal constituency in 2004 and after his death on February 6^th 2007, U.T.Khader contested in the by elections held the very same year and won, thereby entering the legislative assembly for the first time. After this, he has never looked back. He again won in the 2008 state elections and became a people popular MLA in his 5 year term. Later, he won in the 2013 state elections and was given the ministerial berth of Health and Family Welfare in the Siddaramiah led state government cabinet. He also simultaneously served as the district in-charge minister of Kolar district. In the cabinet reshuffle of 2016, his ministerial berth was changed to Minister for Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department.

In the last five years he has successfully delivered his service and gained honour under two different portfolios has been provided with a new important portfolio of City development and Housing. Previously, Vinaya Kumar Sorake of Karavali, handled the ministerial berth of city development and housing in 2013-2016.