Karnataka Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna, who came into the party high command's crosshairs for publicly admitting that voter list irregularities took place during the Congress government's tenure, resigned from his post on Monday.
Rajanna, who is known to be close to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, had questioned the party's silence over alleged electoral roll manipulation—comments that directly contradicted the Congress's official position.
Irked by his statement, the party high command instructed that Rajanna be removed from the cabinet.
Previously, Rajanna had denied stepping down from his position, stating he had not submitted any resignation and intended to discuss the matter with the Chief Minister to provide his explanation. Despite this initial stance, he subsequently tendered his resignation from the Karnataka Cabinet.
Sources indicate that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was given explicit directives from party leadership to remove Rajanna from the cabinet immediately. Although Rajanna initially resisted stepping down, the Chief Minister allegedly issued him an ultimatum until that evening, threatening dismissal if he failed to resign voluntarily. Following a private discussion between the CM and Rajanna during Monday's Assembly session, Rajanna submitted his resignation to the Chief Minister.
Rajanna made controversial remarks on Sunday (10 August) in Tumakuru, where he challenged Rahul Gandhi's claims regarding electoral fraud. He stated, "Such statements are inappropriate... When was the electoral roll compiled? This list was created under Congress governance... Why was there no objection then? Why did everyone remain silent? Further discussion would only complicate matters. While it's undeniable that the BJP has committed misconduct, all of this occurred in plain sight... This gives us pause for reflection... Greater vigilance will be required going forward."
