‘Will accept resignations within minutes’: Karnataka CM warns disgruntled MLAs after cabinet expansion

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar warned disgruntled Congress legislators that their resignations would be accepted "within a few minutes" following their exclusion from the recent cabinet expansion. The development occurred a day after several Congress MLAs expressed dissatisfaction and threatened to resign after being left out of ministerial positions during the long-awaited cabinet expansion, which saw 19 ministers appointed, leaving one berth vacant.

Notable among the dissatisfied legislators were Yashvantharayagouda V Patil and Belur Gopalakrishna, who submitted their resignations from the assembly and offered to step down, respectively. The CM stated that resignations are a natural part of politics and that those who wish to leave the party and pursue a political future should remain patient.

Shivakumar also emphasized the importance of the party and urged the dissatisfied legislators to wait for their turn, as state-run boards and corporation posts would soon be filled. The CM further added that those who previously held positions in boards and corporations were informed that their tenure would be 2.5 years, but it has been delayed.

As a result, the CM intends to fill these posts anew and then address the concerns of the legislators. Party insiders suggested that the former Chief Minister was unhappy with the party high command disregarding several of his recommendations while finalizing the cabinet expansion. However, Shivakumar clarified that Siddaramaiah was not dissatisfied with the cabinet exercise.