Governor accepts B Nagendra’s resignation from Karnataka cabinet

B Nagendra is no longer Karnataka’s planning and statistics minister after Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot accepted his resignation from the state council of ministers with immediate effect on Sunday.

The Ballari Rural MLA submitted his resignation on Friday amid renewed pressure from the BJP and JD(S) over alleged diversion of funds from the Karnataka Maharishi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation. The governor accepted it on Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s recommendation.

Nagendra has denied the allegations, saying he stepped down voluntarily and was being targeted because he is a Dalit and Scheduled Caste leader. He said he plans to travel across Karnataka, including 15 Assembly constituencies reserved for Scheduled Tribes, to speak about what he describes as injustice.

This is Nagendra’s second departure from the cabinet in connection with the case. He first resigned in 2024 after the allegations emerged, then returned to the ministry on August 3 this year after a state-appointed special investigation team discharged him in late 2024. His latest cabinet stint lasted less than a month. CBI and Enforcement Directorate investigations into the matter are continuing.