Ex-CM of Karnataka Jagadish Shettar returns to BJP, stuns Congress ahead of Lok Sabha polls

Shettar's return to the BJP camp followed after Vijayendra, on Home Minister Amit Shah's behest, convinced him to rejoin the saffron party.

ByMahesh M Goudar

Published Jan 25, 2024 | 4:06 PM ⚊UpdatedJan 25, 2024 | 4:27 PM

Karnataka BJP Congress BS Yediyurappa Jagadish Shettar BY Vijayendra Narendra Modi

Former chief minister Jagadish Shettar rejoined the BJP at Delhi on Thursday. (Supplied)

In a move that seems to have left even Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stunned, Congress MLC Jagadish Shettar returned to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Jagadish Shettar, former Chief Minister of Karnataka and a senior Lingayat leader, returned to the BJP, on Thursday, 25 January, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Shettar, 68, rejoined the saffron party in the presence of BJP state president BY Vijayendra and parliamentary board member and former chief minister YS Yediyurappa in Delhi.

Before returning to the BJP fold, the sexagenarian leader claimed he resigned from the post of MLC and the primary membership of the Congress. His team said that Shettar emailed the resignation letters to Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti and KPCC chief and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.

Shettar’s return to the BJP camp followed after Vijayendra, on Home Minister Amit Shah’s behest, convinced him to rejoin the saffron party.

He joined the Congress on 16 April 2023, after the BJP denied him a ticket to contest the 10 May Assembly poll from the Hubballi-Dharwad Central Assembly seat. Subsequently, he unsuccessfully contested the poll as a Congress candidate. He was elected unopposed to the Karnataka Legislative Council on 25 June 2023.

It is learned that Vijayendra has been holding talks with Athani MLA and former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi, who had also left the BJP.

Jumping into damage control mode, DK Shivakumar held an urgent meeting with Laxman Savadi on Thursday.

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Siddaramaiah surprised

Shettar’s decision to end his nine-month association with the Congress has come as a setback for the grand-old party.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah looked visibly surprised when asked about Shettar rejoining the BJP.

“He came to the Congress claiming that the BJP disrespected him. We gave him a ticket, considering he was a former chief minister,” Siddaramaiah said at Virajpete in Kodagu.

“He lost the Assembly polls. We made him an MLC. No injustice has been meted out to him. The party treated him with respect. I am not aware of this development,” he said.

Siddaramaiah claimed that Shettar had told that he would never rejoin the saffron party.

Six-time MLA Shettar re-joined the BJP in the presence of central and state leaders in Delhi.

“Jagadish Shettar is a senior politician, who held various posts including that of the chief minister. It was the wish of all party leaders and workers that he returned to the party,” Yediyurappa told reporters in Delhi.

“I, Shettar, and Vijayendra met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday. He (Shah) expressed happiness and welcomed him to the party. We will also meet BJP national president JP Nadda after this ceremony,” the former chief minister said.

“With the return of Jagadish Shettar, the party has been strengthened. We are confident of winning at least 25 out of 28 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls,” Yediyurappa congratulated Shettar for returning to the party.

“It is true that the party high command held talks with Shettar and convinced him to return to the party. The high command had given the responsibility to state leaders,” BJP state vice-president Murugesh Nirani told South First.

“They managed to convince him. He has flown to Delhi. The party believes that his return will boost the cadre ahead of Parliament, Zilla, and Taluka Panchayat elections,” he added.

Party sources claimed that Shettar agreed to return unconditionally.

Also Read: Karnataka Muslims remind PM Modi he is custodian of Constitution

Modi should win again: Shettar

Stating that he resigned from the MLC post and primary membership of Congress, Shettar asserted he rejoined the BJP as per the wishes of the central and state party leaders.

“In the last Assembly polls, I had resigned from the BJP and joined the Congress. In the last six to eight months, the BJP’s Karnataka unit party leaders and party workers wished for me to return to the party,” Shettar told reporters in Delhi.

“Even the central leaders expressed their wish for me to rejoin the BJP. We met Union Minister Amit Shah. He welcomed me with respect. We will also meet JP Nadda,” he added.

Shettar confirmed that he had resigned as an MLC and from the primary membership of the Congress.

“For the past decade Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made efforts to strengthen the country at the global level,” the veteran leader said.

“Narendra Modi should become the prime minister again. To ensure more power to the nation under his leadership and strengthen the party base, I have rejoined the BJP,” the former chief minister added.

Also Read: BJP MP Pratap Simha faces protests in Mysuru, labelled ‘anti-Dalit’

BJP in talks with Laxman Savadi

In another development, the BJP has been in talks with Congress’s Athani MLA Laxman Savadi to return to the party.

Savadi left the BJP upset on 12 April 2023 over its denial of a ticket to him. The party had then preferred incumbent MLA Mahesh Kumathalli, a close aide of Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, to Savadi. Two days later, he joined the Congress

“The party has assigned Vijayendra to bring back all the prominent leaders who had left the party and joined the Congress in the last year,” a BJP leader said.

“The high command is holding talks with Savadi and other leaders as well. Savadi is yet to announce his stance. He is also likely to rejoin the party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls,” he added.

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