New Delhi: Former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who was not reconsidered by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the May 10 Assembly elections, joined Congress on Monday. He joined the grand old party in the presence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and other senior leaders in Bengaluru.
"I thought being a senior leader, I'll get the ticket, but when I came to know that I'm not getting it, I was shocked. No one spoke to me nor tried to convince me, not even gave assurance about what position will I get," Jagadish Shettar said after joining Congress.
Former BJP CM,
Former BJP President,
Former Leader of Opposition,
Six times MLA,Sh. Jagadish Shettar joins the Congress family today in the presence of CP @kharge ji, Gen. Sec (Org) @kcvenugopalmp ji, PCC President @DKShivakumar ji & Congress in-charge, Karnataka @rssurjewala… pic.twitter.com/gY4wysOgzx
— Congress (@INCIndia) April 17, 2023
Jagadish Shettar, a six-time Hubballi-Dharwad Central MLA, resigned from the Karnataka Assembly and quit BJP on Sunday after his talks with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and two Union ministers Pralhad Joshi and Dharmendra Pradhan the previous night failed.
Earlier on Sunday, he flew from Hubballi to Bengaluru and held discussions with Congress general secretary (Karnataka in-charge) Randeep Singh Surjewala, Congress state chief DK Shivakumar, former minister MB Patil, and veteran Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Karnataka| Congress leaders including Randeep Surjewala, Siddaramaiah, and DK Shivakumar met former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar in Bengaluru, after he resigned from BJP (16/04) pic.twitter.com/93b80sp12v
— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2023
He had earlier alleged that he has been humiliated by denying him a BJP ticket and added that there was a systematic conspiracy against him in the ruling party.
Shettar, a veteran leader whose family has been associated with BJP since the Jana Sangh days, is an influential leader from its bastion of the Kittur-Karnataka region.
According to political observers, his latest move may adversely impact the saffron party's prospects in a number of segments in the region.
At least 16 Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation councillors have also reportedly offered to tender their resignation in support of the prominent Lingayat leader from north Karnataka.
BJP's Ticket Distribution Sparks Rebellion
The banner of revolt by disappointed ticket aspirants in a number of constituencies seems to be keeping the BJP leadership on tenterhooks, as it resorts to douse the fire with less than a month to go before the Assembly polls. The decision of Jagadish Shettar and former Karnataka deputy CM Laxman Savadi to quit the BJP after the party decided not to field them in the May 10 elections, has given a jolt to the saffron camp.
Savadi joined Congress on Friday and was subsequently given a ticket from Athani in the Belagavi district.
Among the legislators who have resigned from the post and the primary membership of the party are MLAs MP Kumaraswamy (Mudigere), Goolihatti Shekhar (Hosadurga), and MLCs Laxman Savadi (Athani) and R Shankar (Ranebennur).
The ruling party has so far announced candidates in 212 constituencies out of the total 224 in two lists. According to party sources, there seems to be a revolt in about two dozen Assembly segments.
The BJP in the first two lists dropped at least 17 sitting MLAs and fielded 67 new candidates.
While deciding tickets, the party has reportedly adopted the policy of trying to replace some seniors and those nearing "retirement" (75 years), fielding new faces in segments where it has not won, and asking leaders to withdraw from the fray if they want tickets for their children.
According to reports, the leadership, during the Central Election Committee meeting, had expressed reservations regarding the State BJP's recommendation list, which re-nominated most of the sitting legislators, and it contained the names of both father and children.
After the CEC meeting, CM Bommai himself had given an indication in this regard by stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave some directions and the party is working on various inputs to finalise the list. He, however, did not elaborate on the nature of directions or inputs. Several rounds of deliberations were held in Delhi before announcing the candidate lists.
Meanwhile, Bommai and Karnataka BJP strongman BS Yediyurappa have said that they are talking to all the disgruntled leaders personally to ensure that they don't leave the party, and the central leadership is personally in touch with some seniors who are upset.
