New Delhi: An upbeat Congress on Monday said the joining of former BJP Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar marked a massive shift in Karnataka politics and it's a big loss to the ruling BJP. It claimed that the grand old party will form a government in the state with an absolute majority. Polls for the Karnataka Assembly would be held on May 10 and the results would be out on May 13.
According to Congress strategists, Jagadish Shettar joining will help the grand old party both in perception building as well as electorally not only in the crucial Hubli-Dharwad area, but across the southern state. Firstly, the ill-treatment of Shettar in the BJP where he grew through the rank and file over the past decades, showed the chaos within the ruling party.
Secondly, Shettar belongs to the powerful Lingayat community, which can influence around 120 assembly seats spread across vast areas from Bidar to Tumkur. Senior state leader BK Hari Prasad told ETV Bharat, “Shettar’s joining the Congress is certainly a big loss to the BJP. Shettar belongs to the Lingayat community, which has around 10,000 Mutts across the state and he is very influential and it is an important development.”
“The Bidar to Tumkur belt comprises around two-thirds of the state in terms of area. The Lingayats have an influence on around 120 assembly seats in the region,” senior state Congress leader Prakash Rathod told ETV Bharat. According to Rathod, Shettar was the biggest Lingayat leader in the BJP after former Chief Minister BS Yeddiyurappa and his joining the Congress would send a strong message across the state.
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“The irony is that the BJP had to remove Yeddiyurappa over corruption charges, but has been forced to bring back the veteran again to deal with huge dissatisfaction among the influential Lingayat community. The BJP is using Yeddiyurappa for a short-term gain and will dump him after the polls,” said Rathod. According to Rathod, “The Congress had failed to make a dent in the crucial Bidar to Tumkur belt in 2018, but we are confident that we will consolidate our position this time.”
Rathod said, “The ill-treatment meted out to Shettar in the BJP showed the state of affairs in the ruling party. Shettar is a former Chief Minister, came from the RSS cadre and had been a former state unit chief of the BJP. But he was very upset. If he had to leave the party because of being sidelined and over ill-treatment, the voters can imagine the level of infighting in the state BJP.”
Hours after party president Mallikarjun Kharge welcomed the former BJP stalwart into the party fold, Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh said, “A massive shift in Karnataka politics. Former Chief Minister and a widely respected leader across the state Jagadish Shettar has joined the Congress today. Congress is on the track to forming the government with a full majority. The BJP is falling like a pack of cards.” Rathod said Shettar’s joining would expose the hollow claims of the BJP that it was winning the southern state.
