Once home to Maha rulers, Latur unrepresented in ministry
Press Trust of India / Latur Nov 10, 2009, 09:43 IST
The district that gave Maharashtra two Chief Ministers and a Union Home Minister has no representation in the 38-member Congress-NCP government sworn in last week.
Vilasrao Deshmukh, who hails from Latur, was at the helm of affairs in the state for over eight years. So was his neighbour from Nilanga constituency Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar.
Senior Congress leader Shivraj Patil took Latur's identity to the national level, with his stint as Lok Sabha Speaker and Union minister, his last outing as Home Minister ending prematurely after 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Vilasrao's son Amit, who made his maiden foray in Assembly by winning the October 13 elections with a margin of around 89,000 votes, was tipped to be Minister of State.
However, Congress leadership took a decision not to give representation to GenNext kin of party leaders already holding ministerial posts, a district unit Congress functionary said.
Nilangekar, the seniormost party leader from the district, was sounded that he would be inducted during the November 7 swearing-in ceremony, his supporter Mohan Deshmukh told PTI.
"Hundreds of Nilangekar's supporters came to Mumbai to see their leader take oath as Cabinet Minister. However, they returned desolate as his name was chopped at the last moment," he said.
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