Karnataka: M Shivanna- Snapped up by saffronists?
As JD(S) MP, he voted for UPA government's nuclear bill, for which he was made NCSC member.
Bengaluru: Former MP M. Shivanna joined the growing list of Dalit leaders taking a decision to defect from Congress to the BJP in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts ahead of next year's elections to the Legislative Assembly.
Mr Shivanna, who defied the whip issued by JD (S) leaders to vote in favour of the UPA government headed by Prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the civilian nuclear bill in 2008, was subsequently rewarded with the post of Chairman of National Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission.
The leader, also known as 'Kagalwadi Shivanna', held talks with state BJP president B S Yeddyurappa and state general secretary Shobha karandlaje, and expressed his willingness to join the saffron party.
Already, former minister and another Dalit leader from Chamarajanagar, Mr S Shivanna has joined the BJP and wants to contest the next Assembly elections.
According to BJP sources, the number of Dalit leaders joining the saffron party has increased after Mr V Srinivas Prasad enrolled as member of the BJP and decided to contest the Nanjangud Assembly by-polls on that party ticket.
A number of Dalit legislators and former legislators of Congress and JD (S) are likely to join the BJP during October -November as they know that the ruling party has turned into a sinking ship and that they have no hopes of the party returning to power in 2018.
Those leaders had seen the performance of BJP in five states that went to polls recently and knew well that the BJP had bright chance of coming to power in Karnataka.
Sources said with Mr Prasad and other Dalit leaders joining BJP, it would be advantageous for the saffron party to make inroads into Dalit dominated Assembly segments.