Bengaluru: Virajpet MLA and senior advocate A.S. Ponnanna has been appointed Political Secretary to Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, with cabinet rank and status.
The appointment marks another significant responsibility for Ponnanna, a senior Congress leader from Kodagu who has built a career spanning law, public service and electoral politics.
Ponnanna, who represents the Virajpet Assembly constituency, is a senior advocate and former Additional Advocate General of Karnataka. He has also served as Legal Advisor to former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with Cabinet rank. Earlier, he headed the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee’s Legal Cell and was actively involved in the party’s legal and political affairs.
Ajjikuttira Subbaiah Ponnanna is the son of the late A.K. Subbaiah, a prominent political figure from Kodagu. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree before pursuing law and obtaining his LL.B. from University Law College, Bengaluru University, in 1987. He subsequently established himself as a prominent lawyer and senior advocate in Karnataka.
Ponnanna’s legal career saw him take up several important constitutional and public-law matters. His experience in constitutional and governmental affairs subsequently became an important part of his political career. He was appointed Additional Advocate General of Karnataka during the Congress government and later became associated closely with the Congress party’s legal affairs.
He entered electoral politics with the Congress and contested the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections from Virajpet. In the election, Ponnanna defeated BJP’s K.G. Bopaiah, a former Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The victory marked his entry into the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
Ponnanna has since remained an important Congress representative from Kodagu and has frequently been involved in issues concerning the district as well as matters relating to law, governance and public administration.
The appointment is also notable as Ponnanna brings to the position a combination of legal expertise, legislative experience and organisational involvement within the Congress party.
Madikeri MLA Dr. Mantar Gowda has congratulated Virajpet MLA A.S. Ponnanna on his appointment as Political Secretary to the Chief Minister of Karnataka.
In a post on X, Dr. Gowda described Ponnanna as a senior Congress leader and praised his longstanding service to the party.
“Heartiest congratulations to senior Congress leader Shri AS Ponnanna on his appointment as Political Secretary to the Chief Minister of Karnataka. Your decades of dedicated service and unwavering commitment to the party make you the right person for this responsibility,” Dr. Gowda said.
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