Who is Jagadish Shettar and why did he quit Karnataka BJP?
Jagadish Shettar will contest from Hubballi – Dharwad central constituency with a Congress ticket.
With former CM Jagadish Shettar joining the Congress, the BJP will not see the three prominent Lingayat figures contesting in this assembly elections from the party. Former CM Yediyurappa had already quit the electoral politics and former deputy CM Laxman Savadi joined the Congress party. Jagadish Shettar will contest from Hubballi – Dharwad central constituency with a Congress ticket.
Also Read - Ex-Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar joins Congress a day after quitting BJP
Who is Jagadish Shettar?
Jagadish Shivappa Shettar, was one of the BJP’s prominent leaders in Karnataka and also a face of Lingayat community in the Hubballi Dharwad region. His father, SS Shettar was Hubballi – Dharwad’s mayor from the then Jan Sangh party and also served as councilor in the city municipal corporation.
In 1994, Jagadish Shetter won as a BJP MLA for the first time and continued to secure key positions in the party. He served as the 15th chief minister of Karnataka between 2012 – 2013, when BS Yediyurappa had to step away as the CM. Shettar was also the speaker of Karnataka legislative assembly in 2008 and later he was made a minister in then BJP chief ministers Yediyurappa and Sadananda Gowda’s cabinets.
Why did Jagadish Shetter leave BJP?
After serving as an MLA for close to three decades and in multiple key positions, Jagadish Shettar submitted his resignation to the BJP and joined the Congress on Monday.
The BJP has denied tickets for many senior leaders in the state when it released the first list of candidates. Shettar was one of the senior members who was denied a ticket and the disgruntled Lingayat leader held a meeting with the party's high command. The BJP high command has reportedly offered him a key position in New Delhi and also a ticket to one of the family members. However, he was adamant about his Hubballi-Dharwad central ticket and the BJP did not agree on his terms. The party also denied a ticket to ex-deputy CM Laxman Savadi and he also left the party and joined the Congress. Meanwhile, the BJP is yet to field a candidate against Jagadish Shettar.
The assembly polls in Karnataka will be held on May 10 and the results will be declared on May 13.