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Not given ticket, Karnataka ex-deputy CM switches from BJP to Congress
Former Karnataka deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi on Friday joined the Congress, days after being denied a ticket for the upcoming assembly elections by the BJP.
Former Karnataka deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi on Friday joined the Congress, days after being denied a ticket for the upcoming assembly elections by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Savadi, a member of the state’s upper house and a senior BJP figure but who lost the 2018 assembly elections, is the first disgruntled BJP leader to switch over to a rival party since the current turmoil in the state BJP began. At least four other sitting lawmakers have resigned from the party after it denied tickets to 17 sitting legislators in its two lists of 212 candidates earlier this week.
Savadi announced his decision after meeting Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar, leader of opposition Siddaramaiah, and Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala.
“Our meeting with Savadi took place in a cordial manner. We are aware of his dignity and position. He has agreed to become a member of our (Congress) family of his own volition. He is coming with us after accepting the party’s ideology and leadership,” Shivakumar said.
“There is no condition (for Savadi joining the party). He feels that he has been humiliated. It is our duty to take such great leaders into the Congress. There are more than 9-10 sitting MLAs who want to join us but we don’t have space to accommodate them,” he added.
On Friday morning, the former BJP member of legislative council (MLC) left for Bengaluru from Belagavi on a special flight booked by Shivakumar. He is expected to resign from the legislative council and primary membership of the BJP soon.
“Despite having political differences, when I approached the Congress leaders for talks of joining the party, they welcomed me with open arms and I am grateful for the same,” Savadi said. “I had asked the senior BJP leaders to give me a chance to contest these upcoming elections. I am very happy to join the Congress party today, having left the BJP,” he added.
A tall figure in the Karnataka BJP, Savadi served as the eighth deputy chief minister of the state and minister of transport from 2019 to 2021, under then chief minister BS Yediyurappa.
Savadi was an aspirant for the Athani seat, but the BJP nominated sitting MLA Mahesh Kumathalli, who defeated Savadi in 2018 but then left the Congress along with 15 other lawmakers in 2019 to bring down the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government.
Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said Savadi’s decision was sad news. “Savadi has seen a future in Congress which is why he has decided to join the party. Congress does not have candidates to contest from 60 constituencies and that is why they are taking candidates from other parties,” Bommai said.
“The ruling party having a greater number of ticket aspirants is expected. The BJP will win for sure and we will release the 3rd candidate list soon,” Bommai further said.
“Savadi joining he Congress is a mistake. He should not have joined Congress after spending many years in BJP. He has now joined a party which has internal fights. Savadi had lost the elections, we made him MLC and gave him the deputy chief minister’s post,” said Karnataka BJP in-charge Arun Singh.
The BJP has been roiled by protests and exits since it decided to drop a number of sitting lawmakers in its candidates list in an attempt ot effect generational change in the state. The state goes to the polls on May 10 and the BJP is hoping to retain its only government in southern India by staving off challenges from the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular).
Shivakumar said that 25 leaders from the BJP and JD(S) will join the party ahead of the assembly elections. Speaking in Nelamangala on Ambedkar Jayanti, he said, “Laxman Savadi, Puttana and others have joined us. In this election, the BJP won’t win more than 60 seats. We will win over 141 seats,” he said. “Twenty-five leaders from BJP and JD(S) will join us. They are not local leaders but seasoned politicians,” Shivakumar added.
The Congress has annoucned 166 candidates and the JD(S) 93 for the 224-member assembly,
Since the candidates were announced, Haveri lawmaker Nehru Olekar, Mudigere lawmaker MP Kumaraswamy, Hosadurga legislator Goolihatti Shekhar and Ramdurg legislator Mahadevappa Yadawad have resigned from the BJP. In Varuna, former BJP candidate Thotadappa Basavaraj quit the party after the party nominated minister V Sommana to contest against Siddaramaiah. Former chief minister Jagdish Shettar is also lobbying to reverse the party’s decision to not nominate him for the upcoming polls.
