Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jun 22: BJP MLC, D H Shankaramurthy, who did not opt to become MLC again this year, retired as chairman of the legislative council here on Thursday June 21 at the end of his eight-year-long tenure.

He was extended a warm sendoff at his office in Vidhana Soudha here in the presence of MLCs.

State governor, Vajubhai Vala, has appointed senior-most member of the legislative council, Basavaraj Horatti, as pro-tem chairman of the councill till a regular chairman is elected.

Reports say that Congress wants to give this post to former working president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, S R Patil, who had resigned from that post owning moral responsibility for the poor showing of the party in north Karnataka. At the same time, JD(S) is arguing that having given the assembly speaker's post to Congress, it wants this post to be given to party MLC, Basavaraj Horatti, although he is more interested in becoming a minister.

Speaking to media persons on this occasion, Shankaramurthy said that several incidents, both sweet and sour, had happened during his term here and that he is retiring with the satisfaction of doing justice to this chair. He said he was unhappy about the absence of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi inside Vidhana Soudha complex when he became chairman for the first time, and getting the statue installed thereafter was his greatest achievement.

About the rumours of him being made governor, he explained that he was never an aspirant for this position. He added that he had been informed by the national president of his party about the proposal to make him governor of a state. "Thereafter, this issue has never been discussed anywhere," he clarified.