Karnataka Congress MLA Yashwanthrayagouda Patil resigns over Indi not being declared drought-hit

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Sep 23, 2026: Karnataka Congress MLA Yashwanthrayagouda Patil submitted his resignation in protest after his Indi constituency was not included among the drought-hit areas, putting the D K Shivakumar-led government in an uncomfortable position.

Patil submitted his resignation to Assembly Speaker G S Patil on September 22, saying he had failed to meet the expectations of people in his constituency. However, the Speaker rejected the resignation, stating that it was not submitted in accordance with the rules.

In his resignation letter, Patil said farmers initially borrowed money to sow crops and purchase fertilisers following spells of rain. However, inadequate rainfall later resulted in crop failures and a shortage of water for people and livestock.

He said he had submitted petitions to Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on August 28, seeking the declaration of Indi taluk as drought-hit.

“Of the 13 taluks in Vijayapura district, two have been excluded — Indi and Chadchan,” Patil said.

Expressing disappointment, he said he had adopted a cautious approach as a ruling-party MLA to avoid embarrassing the government.

“There is no value to my words or feelings. In the current political atmosphere, only the powerful and those who use pressure tactics get things done. There’s no place for gentle-natured people like me,” he said.

So far, 177 taluks in Karnataka have been declared drought-hit.

Gadag MLA H K Patil also threatened to resign if his taluk was not declared drought-hit.

Raising the issue in the Assembly, Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka criticised the Congress government, asking whether the government was “even alive”. His remarks triggered a heated exchange between the Opposition and Treasury benches.

Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara blamed the BJP-led Union government for restricting the state’s ability to declare more areas drought-hit. He said the state government had written 10 letters to the Centre seeking relaxation of the drought manual.

Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said the government was not discriminating against constituencies based on political affiliations and that drought declarations were governed by specific parameters.

“I can’t decide on declaring drought taluks. There are parameters. Many MLAs are asking us to declare their constituencies drought-hit,” Shivakumar said, adding that Patil had acted emotionally and that he had pacified him.