16 former Karnataka MLAs joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday. The politicians earlier belonged to the Indian National Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular). They were disqualified from the state Assembly after they rebelled against their respective parties. The then-Speaker also forbade them from contesting elections till the term of the current Assembly ended. When the matter was taken to the Supreme Court, it upheld the disqualification but allowed the rebels to contest the upcoming bypolls on December 5.
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