Three former BJP, JD(S) leaders join Congress

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: As many as three leaders formerly of the BJP and JD(S) joined the Grand Old Party at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

The leaders in question were former Mudigere MLA from the BJP MP Kumaraswamy, Sukumar Shetty and Jayaprakash Hegde. Kumaraswamy had been the BJP MLA from Mudigere in Chikkamagaluru district from 2018 to 2023.

However, he ran afoul of party leader from the district CT Ravi. Kumaraswamy was denied a ticket to his seat in last year’s Assembly polls, following which he contested on a JD(S) ticket and lost.

The inductees were welcomed by KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and sitting ministers such as G Parameshwara, Laxmi Hebbalkar, KJ George, Madhu Bangarappa, MLC Saleem Ahmed and other Congress leaders.

Shivakumar said that the BJP had replaced at least 10 sitting MPs and given tickets to others because they sensed that the incumbents would lose, adding that the Congress stood a good chance in those constituencies.