Bengaluru, Aug 2026: Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday dismissed speculation that Planning and Statistics Minister B. Nagendra, who has faced allegations in the tribal welfare scam, was considering resigning from the state Cabinet.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar described Nagendra as a disciplined party member and said he had never stepped back when it came to party responsibilities. He maintained that Nagendra was innocent and enjoyed the confidence of the leadership.
“He is a disciplined soldier of the party. He is innocent. Nevertheless, we had accepted his resignation earlier. We have immense confidence in his leadership,” Shivakumar said.
On the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Chief Minister claimed that more than one crore names had been removed during the exercise. He said the state government was issuing permanent resident and caste certificates and had asked election authorities to conduct booth-level meetings and publish updated electoral rolls.
Shivakumar said legislators had been directed to create awareness among citizens about the importance of voting and their legal right to vote. He stressed that no eligible voter should be excluded from the electoral process.
The Chief Minister also said Karnataka’s panchayat and municipal elections would be conducted by November. The state government, he added, would approach the State Election Commission and request that the local body elections be held immediately after completion of the SIR process.
Shivakumar further announced a government decision to distribute 50,000 residential sites to low-income families in every district. According to him, the Revenue Department has already identified suitable land, while MLAs have been instructed to gather detailed information about eligible beneficiaries.
He also warned officials and local representatives against financial irregularities in development projects, saying bogus bills and misuse of public funds would not be tolerated.
Responding to Opposition criticism over proposed legislation relating to the use of park land, Shivakumar defended the government’s position, saying such land could legally be utilised for development works serving a public purpose, including road-widening projects.
However, he made it clear that park land would not be handed over to private individuals. Shivakumar also accused previous governments of allotting public land to political parties and their supporters.
The Chief Minister said the government’s approach was aimed at ensuring that public resources were used transparently and for the benefit of citizens while addressing infrastructure and housing requirements across the state.
