Former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who switched to Congress after he was denied a ticket during the 2023 assembly election, has returned to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Jagadish Shettar rejoined BJP in the presence of former chief minister and senior party leader BS Yediyurappa and state BJP President BY Vijayendra at the BJP Headquarters in Delhi.
Karnataka deputy chief minister and Congress leader DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said the BJP is "desperately trying to get back" former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar into its fold ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to reporters at the Bayalukuppe in Mysuru district, Shivakumar had said, "Many BJP leaders are desperately trying for the return of Shettar who is with the Congress party now. This is a tell-tale sign of weakness in the party. They don’t have candidates for the upcoming general elections."
The deputy chief minister said the BJP and the JD(S) are suffering from a serious deficit of leadership and self-confidence and hence they have joined hands. Now they are desperately trying to get Shettar back into the party fold.
"We made HD Kumaraswamy the Chief Minister to keep the BJP away. Now, Kumaraswamy is embracing the very people who brought his government down. This unholy alliance is a clear example of the state of affairs in the two parties," he added.
(with PTI inputs)
