Senior Congress leader and five-time MLA, Hullappa Yamanappa Meti, passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Tuesday, November 4. He was 79. According to media reports, Meti had been suffering from kidney-related ailments and other age-related complications.
Meti was a leader to have risen from the grassroots, beginning his public life as the chairman of Bilkerur Gram Panchayat before going on to serve as a state minister and Lok Sabha MP. Elected five times from Bagalkot, Meti was also appointed chairperson of the Bagalkot Urban Development Authority in 2024.
Born in Thimmapur village in Bagalkot district, Meti was an influential leader from the Kuruba community in north Karnataka. His political career spanned several decades, during which he held key positions in both state and national politics.
Meti first served as forest minister in the HD Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal government from 1994 to 1998. In 2016, under the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government, he was appointed excise minister, but resigned after the release of a controversial video clip alleging kidnap and assault aired by local TV channels. Although he denied the allegations, the political controversy forced him to step down.