Turncoats return to Congress from BJP in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Former Karnataka MLAs GN Nanjundaswamy and Manohar Ainapur and former Mysuru mayor Purushottam have returned to Congress from BJP ahead of the May assembly polls. Opposition leader Siddaramaiah and PCC president DK Shivakumar welcomed the leaders back into Congress. After he took over as KPCC chief, Shivakumar had said he would encourage leaders who had joined other parties to return.

Najundaswamy represented Kollegal and was vice-president of BJP's SC morcha. He had quit Congress in 1999. Ainapur once represented Vijayapur and is a member of the Banjara community, the third largest subsect of SCs with significant presence in 42 assembly segments.

Sports minister KC Narayana Gowda, who switched to BJP in 2019, along with others to enable Yediyurappa to form a government, and was re-elected on a BJP ticket, has hinted he would return to Congress. Scores of Congress workers, however, attacked the Mandya district Congress president's car on Monday to protest against Gowda's potential readmittance.

Housing minister V Somanna too is said to be upset with BJP as he has been 'neglected' despite being an 'influential' Lingayat leader.