Puttarangashetty, a strong ministerial aspirant, said he decided not to accept the post following the views expressed by his supporters.
C Puttarangashetty (left) with Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC chief DK Shivakumar. (Supplied)
The Congress has already cleared the name of senior leader C Puttarangashetty for the position of Deputy Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly.
However, the former minister and MLA, who was a strong ministerial aspirant, refused to accept the post on Sunday, 28 May.
He said he decided not to accept the post following the views expressed by his supporters and voters.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka Assembly witnessed history on Wednesday, 24 May, when UT Khader was unanimously elected as its 23rd Speaker.
Khader thus became the first Muslim leader to serve as Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly. He is also the youngest person to occupy that chair.
“I won’t accept the Deputy Speaker post. My supporters and voters have asked me not to accept it, stating that I may not be accessible to them. So, they don’t want me to accept it, so I will not accept it,” Puttarangashetty told reporters in the Chamarajanagar district.
Noting that he represented the Uppara community and was aspiring to be a minister, he said if he accepted the responsibility of the Deputy Speaker, he could not be amidst his people and it would be difficult for him to function.
“I have conveyed this to Siddaramaiah (Chief Minister) too, but he insisted that I should accept it, but I had told him that I will ask my people and decide…..it will be difficult for me to function in the constituency and I may lose link with the people of the segment as I may stay away from it for long,” he said.
Responding to a query, Puttarangashetty said he was assured a minister position and hence he had been to Delhi.
“But on reaching Bengaluru, I got to know that I had not made it to the ministry. I don’t know what the reason is. Siddaramiah can explain,” he said.
Puttarangashetty added that his supporters, who were upset, staged a protest and requested him to function just as an MLA.
Puttarangashetty’s candidature for the Deputy Speaker’s post was approved by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, the party recently said.
He won from Chamarajanagar, defeating the BJP’s V Somanna, who was a minister in the previous government.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday expanded his Cabinet by inducting 24 new Ministers.
(With PTI inputs)
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