In a surprising move ahead of the Karnataka Assembly polls on May 10th, former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar joined the Congress party after breaking ties with the ruling BJP. Shettar was inducted into the Congress party by its chief, Mallikarjun Kharge, in Bengaluru, and was accompanied by Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala, Siddaramaiah, and KPCC president DK Shivakumar.
Shettar expressed his disappointment at the way he was treated by the BJP, stating that he had been a loyal worker who had helped build the party, particularly in North Karnataka. He revealed that he had won as an MLA six times, with a margin of 20,000 to 25,000 votes every time, and had expected to be fielded for the seventh time. However, he was informed on April 11th that there was no ticket for him.
Shettar stated that he was hurt by the way a senior leader like himself was treated by the BJP and that he had no alternative but to leave. He added that the BJP was no longer a party where the party is more important than individuals and that few individuals wielded total control.
Congress chief Kharge welcomed Shettar into the party, stating that his joining had assured Congress of winning 150 seats and that it would benefit the party in a major way. Former Karnataka CM and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Siddaramaiah also welcomed Shettar into the party, stating that he was a decent politician and a secular person despite his RSS background.
Shettar is a prominent Lingayat leader in Karnataka and served as the state’s 15th Chief Minister from 2012 to 2013. He also served as the Opposition Leader in the Legislative Assembly from 2014 to 2018 while the Siddaramaiah-led government was in power. Shettar held various ministerial portfolios in the 2019-21 B S Yediyurappa Cabinet and was a former Speaker of the Assembly from 2008 to 2009. With his joining, the Congress party is expected to increase its number of seats in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly polls.