Bengaluru, Aug 6 (PTI) Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti met Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and held discussions, amid the move to replace him.
The meeting took place on Wednesday night, a day after Horatti revealed that Shivakumar had called and requested his resignation from the post, and said he would decide after discussing the matter with BJP and JD(S) leaders.
“Legislative Council chairman Basavaraj Horatti and Chief Minister D K Shivakumar met at the latter’s residence late on Wednesday night and discussed the current political developments around the legislative council,” the CM’s office said on Thursday.
Some ministers and members of the legislative assembly and council were present, it said.
The development follows a letter from the Congress high command to CM Shivakumar on Monday approving Saleem Ahmed as the nominee for chairman of the state legislative council and Umashree for deputy chairperson, along with the list of ministers who were sworn in on Monday.
The party has also approved the names of G S Patil as the nominee for the post of speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and A S Ponnanna for deputy speaker.
Horatti and opposition parties, objecting to the ruling Congress’ move, have maintained that electing the council chairman and assembly speaker is the prerogative of the House, not that of the high command of a political party.
Pointing out that no chairperson has been forced to resign since 1956, and all of them have completed their term, Horatti had on Tuesday said there is no grounds to remove him.
“To remove the chairman, ten members must give 14 days’ advance notice to move the no-confidence motion. Based on the discussion in the House, the matter will be decided,” he said, explaining the procedure, while adding that the decision of the House is supreme on this matter.
State Congress President and MLC B K Hariprasad on Wednesday told media: “If Horatti doesn’t resign, there are certain procedures, which we will follow.” An eight-time MLC, Horatti’s current term runs till July 2028.
The 80-year-old veteran was elected unopposed as Chairman of the Legislative Council in December 2022, when BJP was in power.
Horatti, who had a long political career in JD(S), won the MLC polls in 2022 from Karnataka West Teachers’ constituency on a BJP ticket.
In the 75-member legislative council, Congress has 38 members, BJP 24, JD(S) 6, with one Independent member and one chairman, while five seats are vacant. PTI KSU ROH
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