M A I N   N E W S

Ananth Kumar quits Cabinet
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 12
Union Urban Development Minister Ananth Kumar has resigned from the Union Cabinet following his appointment as the chief of the Karnataka state BJP unit recently.

During his visit to Gulbarga today, Mr Ananth Kumar said he had resigned from the Union Cabinet and his resignation had been accepted.

The BJP leader from Karnataka said he submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on July 9 and now he would be working for the party. “I submitted my resignation on July 9. I have come to know now that it has been accepted today,” Mr Ananth Kumar told reporters.

BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu had earlier expressed his desire to shift Mr Ananth Kumar to the state unit in a bid to strengthen the party there.

Mr Ananth Kumar, after taking over as the president of the Karnataka unit, is expected to bring about vital changes in the state unit with the view to the general elections next year. His shift to Karnataka is part of the BJP plan to strengthen state units before the general elections by shifting senior leaders for party work.

The resignation of Mr Ananth Kumar is likely to pave the way for another Union Cabinet reshuffle. With the slot in the Urban Development Ministry getting vacant, the Prime Minister is not only expected to shift some ministers, but is also likely to induct some new faces.