Veteran Congress leader Kagodu Thimmappa announces political retirement

Team Udayavani, Aug 1, 2018, 1:44 PM IST

Bengaluru: Veteran Congress leader, political stalwart Kagodu Thimmappa, announced his retirement from active politics in order to spend more time with family on Tuesday.

The 85-year-old leader made it clear that he does not plan to contest elections stating that he was content with the work he has done so far and would involve himself in social work henceforth.

Thimmappa’s political debut began with the Socialist party. In 1980 he joined the Congress party was a member of both Fifth Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council and later served as Minister for Food and Forest in Sri Gundu Rao Ministry and then became the Minister of Public Works during the same year. He held the Social Welfare portfolio in SM Krishna government and the Revenue portfolio in the Siddaramaiah government. He had also served as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

He was elected to the Assembly five times from Sagar constituency in Shivamogga district. He, however, lost in the 2018 Assembly election against BJP candidate Hartal Halappa by a margin of more than 8,000 votes