# Congress MLC Saleem Ahmed elected Karnataka Council chairman with 38 votes 2026-08-14T08:57:01+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Congress MLC Saleem Ahmed has been elected Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council, securing 38 votes against 30 for BJP nominee P.H. Pujar. Pro-tem Chairman Puttanna announced the result after a contest that saw the ruling party's candidate defeat the Opposition's pick. The election was necessitated by Basavaraj Horatti's resignation as Chairman. The election followed seven proposals, with five in favour of Ahmed. Opposition Leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy proposed Pujar for the post. After the result, Leader of the House Yathindra Siddaramaiah, the Opposition leader, and Congress member B.K. Hariprasad escorted Ahmed to the Chair. The new chairman has been urged by Opposition members to ensure impartiality during House proceedings. ## Coverage - nationalheraldindia.com - newindianexpress.com Tags: BJP, Congress, Karnataka Legislative Council, MLC election, Saleem Ahmed, State Legislature Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/saleem-ahmed-elected-karnataka-legislative-council-chairman/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/saleem-ahmed-elected-karnataka-legislative-council-chairman/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.