Newly appointed Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Bair Gowda on Tuesday left for New Delhi after failing to secure structural changes to expand the ministry’s jurisdiction to include the Bengaluru Development Authority and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority, party insiders said.
Gowda is expected to meet Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha MP Gandhi, senior leaders KC Venugopal and state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala to press his case.
This development comes days after senior minister Ramalinga Reddy was persuaded to withdraw his resignation over a dispute over portfolio allocation.
Bair Gowda, who is yet to formally take charge of the ministry, is pushing for the two civic agencies to be brought under the ministry’s control, arguing that the ministry would have little practical authority without oversight of the agencies that make up much of Bengaluru’s urban planning and development, party leaders said. “The issue is not just about the ministerial position. It is about where the power in Bengaluru actually lies,” an informed leader said.
Gowda argued that responsibility for Bengaluru’s infrastructure challenges cannot be separated from power over institutions that control planning approvals, land development and urban expansion, leaders participating in the consultations said.
Gowda has transferred his post to Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Surjewala and other senior leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, the leaders added.
He is also believed to have raised concerns over coordination with Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited, another major corporation involved in the city’s infrastructure expansion.
The structural dispute has revived tensions around the ministry that have sparked repeated disagreements within the government. Ramalinga Reddy had earlier resigned after he was given the irrigation portfolio instead of Bengaluru development, before he withdrew his resignation after the Congress high command intervened.
Congress figures familiar with internal discussions said the leadership believes it has resolved the turmoil caused by the Ramalinga Reddy incident, but Gowda’s objections have reopened questions about how power over Bengaluru’s development agencies will be distributed within the government.
Congress MP Rizwan Arshad will accompany Gowda to Delhi, party leaders said, adding that he continues to seek a position in the ministry. Arshad, who represents Shivajinagar, recently chaired the joint review committee that examined the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024. The committee’s recommendations paved the way for setting up of the Greater Bengaluru Authority.
Before leaving for Delhi, Gowda met Shivakumar at Vidhana Soudha and reiterated his concerns. If the current arrangement remains unchanged, alternative portfolios could come into the discussion, the leaders said, with the Department of Revenue mentioned among the possibilities within party circles.
The Bengaluru Development Portfolio remains one of the most influential in Karnataka due to its role in overseeing urban expansion, land development and major infrastructure projects in the fast-growing capital.
