KPCC chief remains non-committal on return of defectors

BENGALURU: Amid speculation of Congress welcoming back the legislators who defected to the BJP, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D.K.  Shivakumar on Friday remained non-committal on taking back 13 defectors.

The defection of 13 Congress MLAs and three JDS MLAs brought down JDS and Congress coalition government in the state in 2019 headed by JDS leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. Ever since the JDS-Congress fell, the BJP government is in power in the state.

Now, in the changed scenario, it is speculated that 13 defectors have reportedly expressed willingness to rejoin Congress ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections in April/May.

Asked about whether the defectors would be accepted into the Congress party and that some of the defectors are in touch with him to rejoin Congress party, Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru that “Only time will answer all the queries.”