Karnataka Congress MLA HY Meti passes away at 79 in Bengaluru

HY Meti, who also served as the Chairman of the Bagalkote Urban Development Authority, is survived by two sons and two daughters.

Senior Congress leader and Karnataka MLA from Bagalkote, H Y Meti, passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Tuesday. He was 79 and had been undergoing treatment for breathing problems and other age-related ailments, according to party and hospital sources.

His mortal remains will be taken to Bagalkote on Tuesday evening.

Meti, who also served as the Chairman of the Bagalkote Urban Development Authority, is survived by two sons and two daughters. His mortal remains will be taken to Bagalkote on Tuesday evening, and the last rites are likely to be performed on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

A seasoned politician, Meti first entered the Assembly from the Guledgudda constituency in 1989, 1994, and 2004 as a Janata Dal member. During his 1994 term, he served as the Forest Minister and was later elected as MP from Bagalkote in 1996.

After delimitation, Meti contested from Bagalkote on a Congress ticket in 2008, though he lost that election. He returned to power in 2013, serving as the Excise Minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, but lost again in 2018.

Known to be a close associate of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Meti was regarded as a pro-people leader deeply invested in the development of his constituency.

Siddaramaiah, who visited the hospital to pay his last respects, expressed grief on social media.

“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,” the CM said.

He added, “Meti, who was in public life for a long time, was a politician who was pro-people and only concerned about the development of his constituency. The society has become poorer with his demise.”