Bengaluru, 3 August

Unhappy over being excluded from the Karnataka cabinet expansion, Congress MLA from Indi Yashavantarayagouda V Patil resigned from his legislative post on Monday.

Patil submitted his resignation letter to Rudrappa Lamani, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, at the Vidhana Soudha here.

Following the announcement, his supporters staged a protest here, shouting slogans and alleging injustice.

Two months after assuming charge as the Chief Minister, Shivakumar will expand his Cabinet on Monday by appointing 20 ministers.

The swearing-in of the new ministers will take place at Lok Bhavan here by 5 pm.

Later speaking to reporters, Patil said his name was on the list until this morning and he had even received intimation, but it did not figure in the final list released by the party.

"I have been watching the developments within the party, ultimately today, during the expansion, our leadership failed to keep the promise made. So, without any other option, it was inevitable for me to resign. I have submitted the resignation," he said.

Clarifying that he was not quitting for the sake of position, Patil said, "It is not acceptable to my conscience. The situation in Vijayapura district is that loyalty and honesty are not valued in the Congress party. I have no other choice. I will speak to my supporters and well-wishers and decide on the future course of action."

"I was promised a ministerial post even before the 2023 assembly polls, but during the government formation, I was told it would happen after 2.5 years, but they failed to keep the promise. I have no other choice. I'm not quitting the party, but they have created an atmosphere compelling me to resign," he said.

Describing himself as a "mature politician" who has faced eight elections, he asserted, "I never back down from my decisions... this is an insult to the voters of my constituency."