Former Karnataka minister H Y Meti dies

Bengaluru, Nov 4 (PTI) Karnataka Congress MLA from Bagalkote and former minister H Y Meti died at a private hospital here on Tuesday, party and hospital sources said.

He was 79 and was undergoing treatment for breathing issues and other age-related ailments, they said.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the hospital to pay his last respects to Meti.

Meti, who was chairman of the Bagalkote Urban Development Authority, is survived by two sons and two daughters.

The party sources said that his mortal remains will be taken to Bagalkote in the evening, and last rites are likely to be performed on Wednesday afternoon.

Meti won elections from the Guledgudda Assembly constituency in 1989, 1994 and 2004 as a Janata Dal member.

After getting elected in 1994, he served as the forest minister. He was also elected as an MP from Bagalkote in 1996.

After delimitation of constituencies, he had contested in 2008 from Bagalkote on a Congress ticket, but lost.

He won in 2013 and served as excise minister in the then Siddaramiah-led Congress government, but lost in 2018.

He was considered to be among the close associates of Chief Minister Siddaramiah.

Expressing grief over Meti's death, the CM said, "I had visited the hospital last Thursday and inquired about his health. I was hopeful that he would recover and join us again. Both my hopes and wishes have been dashed." "Meti, who was in public life for a long time, was a politician who was pro-people and only concerned about the development of the constituency. The society has become poorer with his demise," he posted on 'X'.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar too paid his last respects, and said, "Meti was close to me. He came to the party along with Siddaramaiah and served as an MLA and a minister.... May God give his family strength to deal with the loss." Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, several Congress leaders and ministers in the state government, former CMs B S Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, state BJP President B Y Vijayendra, among others, have expressed grief over Meti's demise. PTI KSU ADB