All clear for DK as Karnataka Legislative Council chairman gives in

Bengaluru: Karnataka legislative council chairman Basavaraj Horatti reportedly agreed to step down, clearing the way for senior Congress leader Saleem Ahmed to take over the post, a development that comes as a relief to chief minister DK Shivakumar.

The Congress high command had cleared Ahmed's name for the chairman's post as part of the organisational changes announced alongside Monday's Cabinet expansion.

Horatti, who is not a Congress member, had initially refused to resign, creating an awkward situation for the ruling party. He met the CM at his Bengaluru residence on Wednesday night to explore the possibility of continuing with the Congress' support. A few senior Congress legislators are also learnt to have privately urged Shivakumar to retain him. However, the CM is understood to have conveyed that the party high command's decision could not be altered and that Horatti would have to vacate the post.


According to people familiar with the matter, Horatti is expected to resign during the monsoon session of the legislature next week after making a statement explaining the circumstances surrounding his exit. Ahmed is likely to file his nomination immediately thereafter.

Surjewala Extends Stay

The development comes even as the Congress leadership continues to grapple with discontent triggered by Monday's Cabinet expansion. AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala has extended his stay in Bengaluru to help the CM contain the fallout, with several legislators upset over being denied ministerial berths.

The leadership also faces the task of allocating portfolios to the 19 newly inducted ministers, with several of them lobbying for key departments. In addition, Congress has yet to decide on the lone vacant Cabinet berth after MLC Gayathri Shante Gowda was asked not to take oath at the last minute.

Rejecting suggestions that the Congress government was facing a political crisis, Shivakumar said the aspirations of legislators were natural.