Karnataka Council chairman says CM sought his resignation, decision after talks with Oppn

Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti said Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had asked him to resign from the post, but he would take a decision only after consulting BJP and JD(S) leaders.

Horatti said Shivakumar called him and requested that he step down to avoid embarrassment after the Congress high command approved Saleem Ahmed as the party's nominee for council chairman.

"The chief minister called me and requested that I resign and cooperate to prevent embarrassment, as the party has sent the name. I will discuss this with opposition leaders and decide," Horatti told reporters on Tuesday.

The veteran legislator also maintained that the chairman of the Legislative Council and the Assembly speaker are elected by the House, not appointed by a political party's high command.

"To remove the chairman, 10 members must give 14 days' notice to move a no-confidence motion. The House will decide the matter after discussion," he said, adding that the House's decision was final.

Horatti, an eight-time MLC whose term runs until July 2028, said no council chairman had resigned before completing a term since 1956 and maintained there were no grounds for his removal.

The development follows the Congress high command's approval of Saleem Ahmed as its nominee for council chairman and Umashree for deputy chairperson, along with G S Patil and A S Ponnanna as nominees for Assembly speaker and deputy speaker, respectively.

The 75-member Legislative Council has 38 Congress members, 24 BJP members, six JD(S) members, one Independent member and the chairman, while five seats are vacant.