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Last Updated: April 17, 2023, 10:48 IST
Ex-Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar recently quit BJP after being denied ticket for the upcoming assembly poll. (Photo: Screen grab from video tweeted by ANI)
Jagadish Shettar joined the party in the presence of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, General Secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala
After his dramatic exit from the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar on Monday joined the Congress ahead of the May 10 Assembly elections in the state. Explaining his reasons for quitting the saffron party, and said, “I was forcefully thrown out of the party that I built…I’m joining the Congress by accepting its ideology and principles.”
“I agree that BJP had given me a good position and respect and in return even I have worked for the party. In the Hubli central constituency, I have won 6 times with 25,000 votes margin, but I was hurt when they denied me a ticket. I’m hurt with the fact that they behaved with a senior leader in this manner,” he added.
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. 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).
(With PTI Inputs)
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