Basavaraj Horatti resigns as Karnataka Legislative Council Chairperson

Basavaraj Horatti submitted his resignation as the chairperson of the Karnataka Legislative Council on Friday. The decision followed meetings with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and other Congress leaders, who had informed him that the government planned to introduce a no-confidence motion against him. Horatti, an eight-time member of the Council, stated that he resigned at the request of the government, though he noted he was not provided with a specific reason for the demand. Chief Minister Shivakumar confirmed the resignation and stated that the Governor had been informed of the development.

The resignation is expected to allow the Congress party to install one of its own members as the presiding officer of the Upper House. While Horatti has publicly stated he is stepping down to avoid a no-confidence motion, opposition figures, including Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, have raised concerns regarding the circumstances of his departure. Kumaraswamy pointed to irregularities in the resignation letter as evidence that the process may have been forced. Horatti, who joined the BJP in 2022, is the first presiding officer of the Karnataka Legislative Council to resign before the end of his term since 1956.