Horatti resigns as Karnataka Legislative Council chairman, clears way for Saleem Ahmed

Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti on Friday resigned from his post, paving the way for senior Congress MLC Saleem Ahmed to take over after the AICC nominated him for the Cabinet-rank position.

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar thanked Horatti for stepping down and said he had written to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot requesting that Horatti continue in office until Ahmed is formally elected.

The resignation comes days after the Congress high command finalised Ahmed's name as part of the political balancing exercise following the recent Cabinet expansion. Ahmed, a senior Congress leader from north Karnataka, missed out on a ministerial berth but has been accommodated in the Council chairman's post, which carries Cabinet rank.


The Legislative Assembly and Council are scheduled to meet for the monsoon session from August 13. The Council is expected to elect its new Deputy Chairperson on August 14, following which the election to the Chairman's post will be held, Shivakumar told reporters. The AICC has nominated veteran actor-turned-politician Umashree as the Deputy Chairperson.

Horatti, who is not a Congress member, had initially resisted stepping down despite the Congress leadership's decision. He met Shivakumar at the latter's Bengaluru residence on Wednesday night to explore the possibility of continuing with the ruling party's support. However, the CM conveyed that the party high command's decision was final and that there was no scope for revisiting it.

Horatti's resignation removes another hurdle for the Congress leadership, which has been managing dissent following the Cabinet expansion and is yet to finalise portfolios for several newly inducted ministers as well as fill the lone vacancy in the ministry.