Prominent Congress, JDS leaders join BJP ahead of high voltage 2023 Karnataka polls

BENGALURU: Ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, a few Congress and JDS leaders joined BJP on Saturday, indicating that political polarisation has started in the state. Prominent among them were former minister Pramod Madhwaraj of Congress and Sandesh Nagaraj of JDS.

In tow were former minister Varthur Prakash of Kolar, former Maluru MLA Manjunatha Gowda, whose inclusion was opposed by local BJP leaders, former Indian Revenue Service officer Dr Lakshmi Ashwingowda, who was reportedly disillusioned when she missed the JDS party ticket to Nikhil Kumaraswamy during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Mandya, former Rajya Sabha members KV Krishnamurthy and Ashoka Jayarama.

Welcoming them, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the BJP wave has started in the Old Mysuru region, which JDS and Congress claim to be in their grip. “Youngsters are anxious for a change in the region which has its own identity of political maturity,” he added. He said BJP, under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, will provide an equal opportunity to all without appeasing any one section of people.

He claimed that many leaders from opposition parties had approached him and expressed interest in joining the party after BJP won Assembly elections in four states. “I advised them to wait and told them that they will be inducted at the right time. Opposition leaders are already fighting for the chief minister’s post, while others have distributed portfolios among themselves,” Bommai ridiculed.

“It is just the beginning as both Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party national general secretary Arun Singh, who had come to the state, have laid out a poll strategy. When rival parties are still confused, BJP has already started the poll campaign,” said Revenue Minister R Ashoka. He said all the leaders who joined on Saturday have done so unconditionally and they have been cleared by Bommai, Arun Singh and party state president Nalin Kumar Kateel.

The party has identified a few more leaders to join the party, he added. “In the first phase, leaders from Old Mysuru and Udupi regions have been inducted. Next, leaders from other regions will be included. Soon, it will be a ‘BJP Parva’ in the state,” he commented. The event was attended by Kateel, Ministers ST Somashekar, Munirathna, Narayana Gowda, Dr Sudhakar and K Gopalaiah, Kolar MP Muniaswamy, and others.