Bengaluru: The governing Congress is mulling a move to unseat legislative council chairman Basavaraj Horrati and his deputy MK Pranesh in a bid to create prominent posts for its senior functionaries and not as a no-confidence measure against the incumbents from the opposition BJP.With the nomination of four members by the state govt, Congress now matches the BJP-JD(S) coalition’s strength of 37 MLCs in the 75-member legislative council, which also includes one Independent.The Independent, Lakkhan Jarkiholi—brother of PWD minister Satish Jarkiholi—is expected to side with Congress, fueling speculation that the governing party could bring a no-confidence motion against both Horrati and Pranesh as early as Nov.Congress chief whip Saleem Ahmed denied any immediate plans. “The party is not considering any such plan at the moment,” he added.But sources within the Congress suggest that the plan to unseat Horrati may coincide with a cabinet reshuffle in the final two months of the year.“There is an urgent need to create vacancies for our senior legislators, as not many can be accommodated in the cabinet. And with the quota for MLCs minimal, there is a need to placate a couple of them on the chair,” said a legislator.Party insiders stressed that the move was not aimed at Horrati personally. The eight-time MLC is a long-time ally of chief minister Siddaramaiah and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge. “If we get two additional posts before the reshuffle, then there may be less dissidence within the upper house,” said another legislator.Among MLCs eyeing ministerial positions are former AICC general secretary BK Hariprasad, minor irrigation minister NS Boseraju (both OBCs), former deputy speaker Puttanna (Vokkaliga), and Ahmed (Muslim).However, Congress insiders remain cautious, given Jarkiholi’s family ties with BJP—his brothers Ramesh and Balachandra are senior members of the saffron party. With MLC elections scheduled for June 2026, where Congress is expected to secure a majority, leaders may delay any move against Horrati. Seven BJP-held seats will be contested then.Once the Congress has a clear majority, party sources say, it could allow both the chairman and his deputy to step down voluntarily rather than face a no-confidence motion.
