Karnataka Legislative Council Chairperson Basavaraj Horatti has been a member of the House for 45 years.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN
Amid speculation on the continuation of Basavaraj Horatti as Chairperson of the Karnataka Legislative Council, the leadership tussle in the Congress and other circumstances seem to have put the entire issue on the backburner for now. Mr. Horatti is the seniormost member in the Upper House having a record of winning eight consecutive terms.
According to a senior Congress leader aware of developments in the Upper House, the party is yet to discuss the possibility of serving a notice of no-confidence. “The notice of no-confidence, which is mandatory, to remove the Chairperson, has not been served. Congress leadership has not even discussed it,” the leader said.
The winter session of the Karnataka legislature will commence in Belagavi on December 8.
How the numbers stack up
With the recent nominations taking the Congress position one shy of majority, it was widely speculated that Mr. Horatti and Deputy Chairperson M.K. Pranesh could be replaced with the party’s nominees. After the nomination of four members to the Upper House, the strength of Congress has gone up to 37 in the 75-member Legislative Council.
The opposition BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) have 29 and 7 members, respectively.
With the Chairperson (Mr. Horatti, a former Janata Dal (Secular) leader, has been elected on a BJP ticket) having his vote, the vote of the lone independent legislator Lakhan Jarkiholi will be the deciding factor.
However, multiple sources pointed out that amid the leadership tussle between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over rotation of power that has kept the party on the edge, the discussion on the post of Chairperson in Upper House is not a priority.
Seniority issue
A senior Congress leader also indicated that unseating Mr. Horatti, the seniormost member of the house with a record of being in the House continuously for 45 years, is also not going to be easy. “One needs seniority and political maturity to be the Chairperson. Some senior members are not interested in the post because they are looking at a cabinet berth.”
The leader also said that indications are that Congress might wait to get a clear majority after the next set of elections.
In 2026, 16 members will complete their tenure. They include seven members retiring in June, five members nominated by the government completing their term in July, besides the tenure of four members elected from graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies coming to an end in November.
Another senior leader pointed out that there has been no charge of corruption or bias against Mr. Horatti, and being the seniormost member, he commands respect from members across parties.
“The post is apolitical. In the past, there have been instances where governments have allowed members from other parties to continue as Chairperson.”
Past instances
In 2017, D.H. Shankarmurthy survived an unprecedented trust vote in the Council that was moved by the Congress.
In 2021, following a notice of no-confidence served by BJP-JD(S), Prathap Chandra Shetty resigned since Congress did not have the numbers.
Published – December 04, 2025 03:22 pm IST
