Bengaluru: In what could be a setback for the ruling BJP ahead of the assembly polls in Karnataka, former deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi has joined the Congress, informed the party’s state president DK Shivakumar on Friday. According to sources, he got a ticket to fight from Athani.
Savadi met Shivakumar and the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah at the latter’s residence in Bengaluru on Friday.
On April 12, Savadi had resigned as a Legislative Council member and from the primary membership of the BJP after denied ticket to fight from his constituency, Athani.
Former CM Siddramaiah said: “The BJP shouldn’t have treated him like this. His only condition is that he should be treated properly. I hope he wins his Assembly seat.”
Meanwhile, former MLC and Congress leader Raghu Achar joined former ally JD(S) on Friday in the presence of party chief HD Deve Gowda and former CM HD Kumaraswamy.
Earlier, on Tuesday, the incumbent BJP announced its first list of 189 candidates. The list featured 52 fresh faces and 8 women.
In the 2018 polls, the BJP emerged as the largest single party, winning 104 seats, with the Congress and then ally JD(S) bagging 80 and 37 seats, respectively.
The term of the current Karnataka Legislative Assembly will end on May 24. The counting of votes for the 224-seat Assembly will be held on May 13.
(With ANI inputs)