Karnataka assembly speaker accepts Congress MLA Umesh Jadhav's resignation

Bengaluru, Apr 01: Karnataka assembly speaker Ramesh Kumar on Monday accepted the resignation of Chincholi MLA Umesh Jadhav.

Jadhav, a two-time MLA from Chincholi constituency in Kalaburagi district, submitted his resignation to Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar without giving any explanation.

Jadhav is contesting on BJP ticket against senior Congressman Mallikarjun Kharge in Kalaburagi Lok Sabha constituency.

Kharge has retained a vice-like grip on the Gulbarga Lok Sabha constituency, having won back to back elections. He defeated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Revunaik Belamagi in 2014 and 2009.

Jadhav was elected as the MLA from Chincholi in the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections but he submitted his resignation to the Speaker on March 4. He defected to the BJP from the Congress on March 6.

Jadhav was one of the four Congress MLAs that the party wanted to be disqualified for failing to follow the order of the party whip in attending the budget session of the State Assembly. He had also missed several party legislature meetings in the run-up to the budget session and was also missing when the Congress party MLAs gathered at the Eagleton resort in Ramanagara in January in response to the threat of BJP attempting to prise their MLAs away.

Umesh had earlier made his displeasure known to senior Congress leaders, particularly regarding the decision to induct Priyank Kharge, son of Mallikarjun Kharge, a first-time MLA, into the Cabinet in 2013 during the tenure of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Even HD Kumaraswamy, who succeeded Siddaramaiah, inducted Priyank into the Cabinet as the Social Welfare Minister.

Seven-phased elections in the country will begin on April 11 and will go on till May 19. Counting of votes will be done on May 23. Karnataka will go to polls on April 18 and 23.