BENGALURU: Following a late-evening meeting with chief minister DK Shivakumar, Karnataka Legislative Council chairman Basavaraj Horatti on Thursday said he would resign on August 14, while accusing the Congress of trying to take control of a constitutional post even before the House elects his successor. The ruling party had named Saleem Ahmed as its nominee for the post on Monday.The veteran BJP MLC alleged that the Congress high command had directed Shivakumar to seek his resignation, calling it an attempt to “undermine democratic conventions”.Horatti said that before stepping down, he would place the entire sequence of events before the House.“I feel it is necessary to explain everything that has happened. After that, whatever decision the House takes will be final,” he said.Horatti had met Shivakumar late Wednesday but later told reporters he would decide on resigning only after consulting BJP and JD(S) leaders.“The governing party is trying to interfere with constitutional offices and take control of both the council and assembly,” he alleged.He said the authority to elect the Legislative Council chairman and Assembly speaker rests with the respective Houses and not with the leadership of any political party.“They have announced names without consulting anyone or seeking the opinion of members. This is wrong and shows a lack of faith in democratic principles,” he said.The development, however, was widely expected after the Congress recently gained a majority in the 75-member Legislative Council with 39 MLCs. State Congress president and MLC BK Hariprasad had on Wednesday indicated that Horatti would have to step down, saying, “If Horatti doesn’t resign, there are certain procedures which we will follow.”An eight-time MLC, Horatti has been a member of the Legislative Council for more than 46 years and has served as its chairman three times since December 2022, including two earlier truncated terms. The 80-year-old has two years remaining in his current tenure as an MLC.
