Basavaraj Horatti presiding over a meeting at the Legislative Land in Belagavi on December 19, 2025. | Photo credit: PK Badiger
Legislative Council Speaker Basavaraj Horatti created a record of its kind by presiding over the session for over 11 hours on the concluding day of the winter session in Belagavi on Friday.
The meeting of the House on the last day started at 10:15 and continued without a break for lunch until 22:15. The only short break was for five minutes due to an adjournment forced by the opposition and members of the ruling party over the hate speech bill.
45 years in the Council
Mr. Horatti, 79, who set a record as a member of the Legislative Council for more than 45 years continuously, sat through the entire meeting.
Mr. Horatti, who said he would announce a break for lunch after the bill was put to a vote, was unable to do so as the debate on the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (prevention) Bill, 2025 stretched for more than six hours. This was the longest debate on any bill during the winter session, with 23 members taking part.
Meanwhile, Mr. Horatti took a 10-minute break but returned to sit in his chair. The ongoing debate without any break resulted in several Council members taking short breaks for snacks and drinks, while some slipped away and returned after lunch.
Longest also for CM
The last day of the Council session also witnessed the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for nearly seven hours. Although Mr. Siddaramaiah wanted to leave and come back for a reply, Mr. Horatti insisted that he stay back till he completes his reply on the North Karnataka issues debate.
The Chief Minister went through discussions on various bills before being asked by the Speaker for his reply and subsequent explanation, which lasted for nearly three hours.
Published – 20 Dec 2025 20:55 IST
