BENGALURU: A by-poll to fill a vacancy in the Legislative Assembly is on the cards with Speaker K.B. Koliwad accepting the resignation of former minister and Nanjangud legislator, V. Srinivas Prasad, on Thursday.
Mr. Prasad had submitted his resignation letter to Mr Koliwad on October 17, but the latter took four days to accept it at the end of elaborate consultations with legal luminaries and constitutional experts.
The Speaker reportedly made last minute efforts to convince Mr Prasad to reconsider his decision, but the former minister remained firm about his decision to quit as MLA.
Mr Koliwad told the media here: “Before taking a decision to accept the resignation, I consulted legal luminaries, constitutional experts and the Advocate General. As prescribed by the Constitution, I must hold consultations with the experts concerned. Meanwhile, I decided to give one more opportunity to Mr. Prasad. There is no other intentional delay in taking decision,” he said.
The Speaker said that he was not under any pressure on the issue of resignation and that none could influence him on such issues. Mr Prasad, who held revenue portfolio, quit as MLA and also primary member of Congress, miffed with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for being axed during a recent reshuffle of the ministry. With his exit, Assembly Secretary S. Murthy would issue a notification on the vacancy and inform the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka about it.
