The lone Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) minister in the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress government in Karnataka quit his position citing personal reasons. However, he said he would continue to support the ruling coalition.
N Mahesh, the minister for primary and secondary education, said he quit to focus more on his assembly constituency Kollegal and to strengthen his party ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
After submitting his resignation to Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, while speaking to reporters, he said, “There had been a campaign against me in my constituency that I have camped in Bengaluru and was not focusing on Kollegal. Also, there was a need to strengthen the party base ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.”
Mahesh vowed to continue his support to the coalition government and said he would campaign for the JD(S) during the bypolls for three Lok Sabha and two assembly seats on November 3.
“I do not have any grouse against anybody in the government. As a minister I did my best and toured across the state. This resignation is purely due to personal reasons,” he said.
Notably, Mahesh was given the Cabinet post after BSP chief Mayawati’s aides reached out to Kumaraswamy and the Congress after the Karnataka Assembly elections. Mahesh’s decision comes a few days after BSP supremo ruled out an alliance with the Congress in the upcoming Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
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