Karnataka: Ex-CM Shettar resigns from Assembly, likely to join Congress

Senior BJP leader and former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar on Sunday (April 16) resigned from the state Assembly, days after he was denied ticket by the party for the May 10 Assembly polls.

Shettar, 67, has also said that he will resign from the BJP. Sources say Shettar, who represented the Hubli-Dharwad Central Assembly seat, is set to join the Congress.

On Sunday morning, Shettar reached Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district and handed over his resignation letter to assembly speaker Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri.

Also read: Karnataka polls: Jagadish Shettar meets BJP president Nadda for ticket

He told reporters that while the Congress has already sent him feelers, he is yet to speak to senior leaders.

He said at present he is discussing his next move with well-wishers.

Even though sources said Home Minister Amit Shah may try to speak to Shettar, the Lingayat leader has said that he will not make any attempts from his side to reach out to BJP leaders including Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Taking a dig at the party’s central leadership, Shettar alleged that senior leaders like him who have built the party are being disrespected and humiliated.

“I don’t know whether PM Modi ji knows this or not, the persons who are sent to Karnataka as in-charge and few leaders have decided that the BJP should not come to power in the Assembly polls. Anyhow, it is left now. The BJP is being sacrificed for vested interests,” he told the media.

Shettar, a six-time MLA, was aspiring for a BJP ticket to contest the May 10 assembly election from Hubballi-Dharwad central constituency, but the party declined.

Also read: Karnataka poll: Will contest at any cost, says Jagadish Shettar, defying BJP high command

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and Dharmendra Pradhan tried till late Saturday night to persuade him, but he did not budge and remained adamant on his stand to contest the assembly election.