Two days after he quit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after failing to make the cut for the upcoming Karnataka assembly election, former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi joined Congress on Friday, April 14.
Savadi resigned as a member of the legislative council as well as from the primary membership of the BJP on April 12. His decision came after his name was missing from the Athani constituency in the party’s first list of candidates.
Earlier on Friday morning, Savadi left Belagavi for Bengaluru on a special flight. He was accompanied by Congress MLC Channaraj Hattiholi, who is the younger brother of Congress MLA from Belagavi Rural constituency, Lakshmi Hebbalkar.
Savadi was seen arriving at Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah’s residence in Karnataka’s capital with state president DK Shivakumar.
Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, who is party in-charge for Karnataka, also arrived at Siddaramaiah’s residence.
“He (Savadi) has agreed to become a member of our (Congress) family of his own volition,” Shivakumar said. “He feels that he has been humiliated. It is our duty to take such great leaders into the Congress Party,” Shivakumar said.
“His (Savadi’s) only condition is that he should be treated properly. It’s confirmed 100 per cent that he will get a ticket to contest the Athani seat. I hope he wins his Assembly seat,” Siddaramaiah said.
The state party chief also hinted that there were more MLAs who wanted to join Congress. “There are more than 9-10 sitting MLAs who want to join us, but we don’t have space to accommodate them,” Shivakumar claimed.
The BJP has decided to give a ticket from the Athani constituency to sitting MLA Mahesh Kumathalli. Kumathalli, who was then a Congress candidate, beat Savadi in the 2018 elections.
Kumathalli was among the group of defectors who helped the BJP bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition and form its government under BS Yediyurappa in 2019.
Reacting to his name missing from the BJP’s list, Savadi had said, “I have made my decision. I am not the one who goes around with a begging bowl. I am a self-respecting politician. I am not acting under the influence of anyone.”
Reacting to Savadi’s reaction, senior BJP leader and Lingayat community leader BS Yediyurappa said, “We have given everything to him (Savadi). I don’t know why he is unhappy… I don’t know why he has taken such a decision. I tried my level best to contact him yesterday but I couldn’t.”