Kolar: Former Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar, who lost the previous Assembly polls from Srinivasapura Constituency, announced his political retirement while addressing a meeting organised to discuss the upcoming Lok Sabha elections at his native Addagal village, here yesterday.

“I have lived a truthful life in politics all these years. However, the political environment in the State is totally polluted with no values. I have not done politics with other’s money. Few leaders, who sold themselves, cheated me and the party during the previous Assembly polls,” he said.

Stating that he will not contest the next Assembly polls, Ramesh Kumar added that those who had cheated him and the party would face the consequences in future.

The former Speaker also announced that neither him nor his son Harsha would be campaigning for the Congress candidate in Kolar. “Let the people cast their  vote to the party candidate considering the development works that I have done over the years,” he added.

With both Ramesh Kumar and Minister K.H. Muniyappa factions fighting for the LS ticket for the Kolar (SC) Constituency, the Congress party has fielded a neutral candidate K.V. Gautham.

It may be recalled that Ramesh Kumar had made a similar announcement to retire from politics during 2020 after the fall of JD(S)-Congress Coalition stating that he would not be contesting the 2023 Assembly polls. However, the former Speaker contested the 2023 Assembly polls from Srinivasapura Constituency in Kolar and lost to G.K. Venkatashiva Reddy of the JD(S) by a margin of 10,443 votes.