Karnataka ex-CM Shettar gets Cong ticket

Shubhadeep Choudhury

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New Delhi, April 17

Former Karnataka Chief Minister and prominent BJP leader Jagadish Shettar on Monday joined the Congress, which immediately nominated him as the party’s Hubli-Dharwad Central contestant for the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka.

With the induction of Lingayat leader Shettar, the Congress is hoping to win over this numerically strong Lingayat community in the state, as it is perceived to be tilted towards the ruling BJP.

Last week, Laxman Savadi, a Lingayat leader of the BJP and former Deputy Chief Minister, joined the Congress and was given ticket to contest from Athani constituency.

“The BJP is no longer the party Jagadish Shettar built. The BJP is now 3 C’s —- Commercial Gain, Commission and Collection of Defectors. Lingayats have neither respect nor political space in the BJP and the government. Proof lies in the way Lingayats, SCs, STs, OBCs were betrayed in the name of reservations,” Randeep Singh Surjewala, in-charge of the Congress party’s Karnataka unit, tweeted after Shettar joined the Congress.

A six-time MLA, Shettar served as Karnataka CM (July 2012-May 2013) after discontent started brewing among the Lingayat community against the incumbent Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda, who is from Vokkaliga caste.

BS Yediurappa, a Lingayat leader who became CM in 2008, had to resign in 2011 due to corruption charges against him. Yediurappa chose Sadananda Gowda as his successor. Before Gowda could complete the first year of his tenure as Chief Minister, Yediurappa got him to resign, and Shettar was installed as CM.

Shettar, who also remained the BJP’s state president, was denied ticket by the BJP this time. An upset Shettar slammed the BJP and alleged that the party had humiliated him. “I was humiliated and badly treated by BJP leaders. Some of the leaders in the state are misusing the BJP and that hurts,” he said.

Reacting to Shettar’s decision to embrace the Congress, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the former Karnataka Chief Minister would be used and later thrown away by the Congress.

“As long as BS Yediyurappa is with us, the Lingayat community will be with us,” Bommai told reporters in Bengaluru.

Yediyurappa said he would personally campaign against Shettar and ensure his defeat. “The Lingayat community will always be with the BJP,” he said.

Shettar joined the Congress at the KPCC headquarters in Bengaluru in the presence of party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Randeep Surjewala, CLP leader Siddaramaiah and KPCC president DK Shivakumar.

“Former BJP chief minister, former BJP president, former Leader of Opposition, six-time MLA Jagadish Shettar joins the Congress family today,” the Congress tweeted welcoming Shettar into its fold.

6-time BJP MLA held key posts

Chief Minister:

July 2012 to May 2013

BJP state president for 2 terms

Leader of Opposition:

January 2014 to May 2018

Assembly Speaker:

June 2008 to Nov 2009

Minister of Industries:

August 2019 to July 2021

Minister of Public Enterprises:

September 2019 to July 2021

Minister of Rural Development:

Nov 2009 to July 2012

Minister of Revenue:

Feb 2006 to October 2007

Confident of Lingayats’ support: CM

Jagadish Shettar will be used and thrown away (by Cong). As long as BS Yediyurappa is with us, the Lingayat community will be with us.

Basavaraj Bommai, karnataka cm