Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has appointed his estranged aide N R Santosh as a political secretary, marking his return to the mainstream after a hiatus.
Santosh, who was Yediyurappa’s PA and played a key role in toppling the previous Congress-JD(S) coalition, had kept a low profile ever since the BJP came to power last year.
The protocol wing of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) issued an order appointing Santosh as the CM’s political secretary. Yediyurappa already had two political secretaries - MLAs M P Renukacharya and S R Vishwanath.
An engineering graduate, Santosh hails from Nonavinakere in Tumakuru. He is the grandson of Yediyurappa’s sister. He became Yediyurappa’s PA in 2015 and was seen as a trusted lieutenant.
After the BJP came to power, Santosh fell out with Yediyurappa and maintained distance. It is said that Yediyurappa had sought some time with Santosh to bring him into the administration.
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