BAGALKOT: Former minister, senior politician and influential leader of the Kuruba community in North Karnataka, H Y Meti passed away at Apollo Hospital in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
His body will be brought to Bagalkot on Tuesday evening where a public condolence ceremony will be held at the district sports stadium from 6 am to 12 pm on Wednesday. After the condolence ceremony, the body will be taken to his native village, Thimmapur, where he will be cremated with full state honors.
Meti had been suffering from respiratory problems and asthma for some time and was undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital in Bengaluru. His health condition had deteriorated in recent days, and he was shifted to the ICU on Tuesday morning. Despite treatment, he succumbed to his illness.
The district administration has made arrangements for Meti’s public condolence ceremony at the district sports stadium, where the body will be kept from 6 am to 12 pm tomorrow. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other dignitaries are expected to attend the funeral, which will be held with full state honors at Thimmapur village.
The police have been deployed to maintain law and order during the condolence ceremony and funeral. His death has sent shockwaves across the state, with many politicians and leaders paying tribute to his memory.
H Y Meti, born on October 9, 1946, in Thimmapur village, Bagalkot district, was a prominent leader of the Kuruba community in North Karnataka. He started his political career as a member of the Bilkere mandal panchayat and later became the president. He was also a director and chairman of the PLD Bank.
Meti was first elected as an MLA from Gullegudda constituency in 1989 on a Janata Party ticket. He was re-elected in 1994 on a Janata Dal ticket and became the Minister for Forests in the H D Deve Gowda cabinet. In 1996, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bagalkot constituency. He lost the 1998 Lok Sabha election, but was re-elected as an MLA from Gullegudda in 2004 on a Janata Dal (Secular) ticket.
Meti joined the Congress party in 2008 and lost the Assembly election from Bagalkot constituency. However, he won the 2013 Assembly election from Bagalkot and became a minister in the Siddaramaiah cabinet. He lost the 2018 Assembly election, but was later appointed as the chairman of the Bagalkot Urban Development Authority.
