BENGALURU: In an election that neither the Opposition nor the ruling party wanted, three-time Congress MLC Salim Ahmed was elected as the new chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council on Friday.He defeated his opponent from the BJP-JDS combine, P H Pujar, by eight votes to become the 18th chairman of the House. Ahmed secured 38 votes, while the BJP-JDS candidate got 30 votes. One MLC was absent, while Congress MLC Puttanna served as the pro tem chairman. Five seats are vacant in the graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies.Breaking with the convention of unanimously electing the chairman, the election was held as a mark of protest against the alleged unceremonious exit of eight-time MLC and former chairman Basavaraj Horatti.“We never wanted this election. It was never our intent. But none from the ruling party came to assuage us and urge us to withdraw prior to filing the nomination. Because of the forceful resignation of Horrati we were forced to contest,” said Opposition Leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy.The Opposition parties alleged that the Congress had set a bad precedent by getting the nominations cleared by the high command and releasing them for public consumption.“It was supposed to be an internal decision but making it public by addressing the list to the CM has set this bad precedence,” said Narayanaswamy.However, the Congress countered by claiming that there had been several unceremonious exits of former chairmen and deputy chairmen of the Council.“History will also remember how the BJP removed the Congress chairman Pratap Chandra Shetty and even did not allow me to speak two words when I was removed in favour of then MLC Vimala Gowda,” said former pro-tem chairman and MLC Puttanna.KPCC president B K Hariprasad further recalled that Horatti had been given two choices.“Either it was resignation or a no confidence motion. In fact we had a conversation wherein on August 6, after agreeing to step down on August 14, was ambivalent on his resignation due to pressure from family and well wishers. So once again the option was presented and he agreed. There was no forceful resignation which was taken,” he said.Reiterating this, Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said: “It was politics. We had mutually agreed upon a date for Horrati to step down from the post after thanking the house. But then things changed and I do not want to dwell further into it.”However, Horatti stayed clear of the controversy and only wished Salim Ahmed well. He warned Ahmed about the potholes he could face while carrying out his duties and urged him to raise the standard of discussions in the House.“While I am hurt for being not elected unanimously I will continue to be non-partisan and give more opportunities for the opposition to raise issues,” Council chairman Salim Ahmed said.
