Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies Minister Umesh Vishwanath Katti died of cardiac arrest on Tuesday night. He was 61 years old.
According to sources, Katti collapsed in the bathroom of his residence in Dollars Colony here and was taken to the hospital. State Revenue Minister R Ashok said that according to doctors, Katti had no pulse when she was brought to the hospital. He described Katti’s death as a great loss for the BJP and Belagavi district.
CM Bommai tweeted, “Deeply saddened by the untimely demise of my close colleague, Karnataka Forest Minister Umesh Katti. The state has lost an accomplished diplomat, active leader and loyal public servant in his demise.” The Chief Minister is going to the hospital.
, , pic.twitter.com/tcfNlw9Cdr
— Basavaraj S Bommai (@BSBommai) 6 September 2022
Umesh Katti was handling two portfolios in the Basavaraj Bommai government: Forests and Food and Civil Supplies. His family consists of wife, son and daughter.
Bommai’s cabinet colleagues, including Water Resources Minister Govind Karjol, Health Minister K Sudhakar and several BJP leaders, rushed to the hospital on receiving the news.
Read also| Void in the Brahmin politics of the state due to the death of UP leader Ramveer Upadhyay
Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tweeted, “Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Food and Civil Supplies Minister Umesh Katti. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family. May his soul rest in peace.”
Deeply saddened to hear about the passing away of Shri Umesh Katti, Minister of Food and Civil Supplies.
My deepest condolences to the bereaved family. may his soul rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/r1MqujopIJ
— siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) 6 September 2022
One of the senior ministers of Belagavi district, Umesh Katti, was an eight-time MLA from Hukkeri assembly constituency. He had expressed his desire to become the Chief Minister and was often in the news for his separate North-Karnataka state stand.
He entered politics in 1985 after the death of his father Vishwanath Katti.
Before joining the BJP in 2008, Katti was with the Janata Party, Janata Dal, JD(U) and JD(S). He had earlier served as a minister in the cabinet headed by JH Patel, BS Yediyurappa, DV Sadananda Gowda and Jagadish Shettar.
(with PTI inputs)
— the ending —