Umesh Katti, a Bharatiya Janata Party member and the Minister of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs and Forest of Karnataka died late on Tuesday, September 6 2022. He was 61 years old. 

He suffered a heart attack while in the bathroom of his home at Dollars Colony, Bengaluru, according to a report from the New Indian Express. After not coming out of the bathroom for a while, family members went in and rushed him to the MS Ramaiah Hospital where he died two hours later, according to a Times of India report. 

Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai expressed his grief over the loss of a cabinet colleague and “close friend” saying that the state lost a public leader, an experienced stateman and a dynamic leader. 

Katti’s mortal remains would be moved to  Bellada Bagevadi, his native village in Hukkeri, according to a report from the Hindu. 

Who was Umesh Katti?

Umesh Katti was born on March 14, 1961 in Khadalat (now Bellada Bagevadi) in Mysore State (now Karnataka),before it became part of the Indian Republic. While information about Katti’s early childhood is hard to come by, his entry into politics was a hasty albeit sudden affair. His father, Vishwanath Katti, died in 1985 while taking his oath as an MLA in the Vidhana Soudha. Umesh Katti fought the by-election from the Hukkeri constituency after the death of his father. 

Of the nine elections that Katti has fought, he’s won nine of them, making him one of veteran leaders in Karnataka’s Legislative Assembly. Prior to joining the BJP in 2008, Katti flitted from party to party, with stints at the Janata Party, the Janata Dal, JD (United) and JD (Secular). 

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Katti received his first Minister appointment in the late J.H Patel’s Cabinet. He has served in the Cabinets of  B.S. Yediyurappa, D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Jagadish Shettar, and Basavaraj Bommai. 

The deceased lawmaker was often in the news for his openly controversial remarks about dividing Karnataka. Katti would often call for the state to be split into North Karnataka and South Karnataka. He had hoped that after the split either he or his son would become the chief minister of “northern Karnataka.” His comments were often based on what he saw as the neglect of the northern region of the state. 

Heart attacks run in the Katti family. Katti’s father died of a heart attack. In the past, the deceased minister suffered two heart attacks, the most recent one being in 2008. He had a stent inserted after open heart surgery. His brother Ramesh Katti also has a heart problem. 

Katti is survived by his wife Sheela, son Nikhil and daughter Sneha.