BJP leader V. Somanna is now part of the new Union Council of Ministers, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has taken the oath as MoS in the Ministry of Railways. Somanna won the Tumkur Lok Sabha segment by a margin of 1,75,594 votes, against Congress’ S P Muddahanumegowda in the recent Lok Sabha polls. The Lingayat leader, who started off as member BBMP in 1983-87, has grown politically steadily and has had his stint in all the three key political parties in the state — Janata Dal (erstwhile), Congress and BJP.