Bengaluru, Apr 17: Senior BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Monday joined the Congress ahead of the May 10 Assembly elections in the state.
He joined the party in the presence of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, General Secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala (Karnataka in-charge), KPCC president D K Shivakumar and Legislature Party leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, among others.
Shettar on Sunday had resigned as the Hubli-Dharwad (Central) MLA after the BJP denied him the ticket to contest the Assembly polls.
Shettar is the second prominent leader of Karnataka to switch sides since last week.
The 67-year old six-time MLA, Shettar was asked by the BJP top brass to make way for others, but he on his part had asserted he wanted to contest one last time.
After joining the Congress, Shettar alleged that he had been humiliated by the BJP by denying him a ticket and that party is today in the control of “very few people.” “I was forcefully thrown out of the party that I built…I’m joining the Congress by accepting its ideology and principles,” he told reporters.
On his arrival in Bengaluru from Hubballi on Sunday night, Shettar had held discussions with Congress leaders Surjewala, Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah, former minister and campaign committee chief M B Patil and veteran party leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Shettar’s relative).
This decision of Shettar, a prominent Lingayat leader from north Karnataka, may adversely impact the BJP’s prospects in a number of segments in the region, according to political observers.
Shettar, a veteran BJP leader whose family has been associated with the party since Jana Sangh days, is an influential leader from its bastion of Kittur Karnataka region. While in the BJP he had served as a Minister, Speaker, Leader of the Opposition and the chief minister.
The BJP said Shettar has ended up choosing himself over the party. Several options were given to Jagdish Shettar and the party never asked him to retire from politics, said BJP strongman B.S. Yediyurappa, hitting out at the former chief minister.
“He was given several options including a ticket being promised to a family member. The party also offered to make make him a Rajya Sabha member and a Union Minister,” he said.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Shettar personally on Saturday. Bommai said BJP has given the maximum number of ministerships to the Lingayat community.
The Karnataka BJP has released two lists of candidates for the assembly election to be held next month, but 12 more candidates – including one for the Hubballi-Dharwad seat – are yet to be announced for the 224-member assembly.
