New Delhi/Mangaluru: After the BJP leadership informed former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar that he could not be fielded in the upcoming Assembly polls, the Lingayat leader on Sunday resigned from the state Assembly. The BJP leadership had requested Mr Shettar to step aside and make way for a new candidate in his constituency, which was opposed by Mr Shettar. The party is yet to declare any candidate for the constituency.
The Opposition Congress quickly extended him an invitation to join the party, describing him as an "honest CM" who had no allegation against him during his tenure at the helm.
Union home minister Amit Shah had spoken to Mr Shettar personally on Saturday. The former CM had met BJP president J.P. Nadda in the national capital earlier this week to stake a claim for recontesting from Hubli-Dharwad.
Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said Mr Shettar's decision has "pained and disturbed him". Former CM and Lingayat strongman B.S. Yeddiyurappa described Mr Shettar’s resignation as an "unforgivable crime" and said his one-time close associate has "betrayed the party" and that the people of the state will not forgive him. The BJP has been facing rebellion in some seats where it has fielded new faces.
Mr Shettar submitted his resignation to Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri at Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district. The last-ditch efforts of senior party leaders, including BJP's election in-charge for Karnataka Dharmendra Pradhan, Union minister Pralhad Joshi and Mr Bommai on Saturday to persuade the Hubli-Dharwad Central MLA to change his mind, paid no fruits as he quit as a legislator on Sunday.
"I am neither old nor are there any corruption charges against me. Have I made any mistakes? I have not been given a ticket. So, I have resigned from the party. Mr Yediyurappa says that I had enjoyed power in the BJP and quit the party. But why did he quit the BJP and form the KJP? He too had quit after enjoying everything in the BJP, didn't he?" questioned Mr Shettar after he submitted his resignation in Sirsi.
Mr Shettar added that he will discuss his future moves with his supporters. Though he has not yet decided to join the Congress, he declared that he will surely contest the forthcoming election.
A prominent BJP leader from the Lingayat community who was closely associated with the RSS and ABVP, Mr Shettar, a former state BJP president and a six-time MLA, announced on Saturday that he will resign as an MLA and also part ways with the saffron party after a three-decade long association.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad said his party would welcome Mr Shettar in case he wishes to join it. Describing Mr Shettar as an "honest CM," Mr Hariprasad said there was no allegation against him during his tenure at the helm.
BJP state unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel said senior BJP leaders had made efforts to "keep him in the party". There was no "conspiracy" behind the party’s decision to not field him this time.
The ruling BJP has been witnessing rebellion in some of the seats where the party leadership has fielded new faces. The party has so far announced candidates in 212 constituencies out of the total 224 constituencies in two lists.
In the first two lists, the BJP has dropped at least 17 sitting MLAs and has fielded 67 new candidates.
Of the 12 seats for which BJP tickets are yet to be announced, seven, including Shivamogga and Hubli-Dharwad Central, are currently held by BJP MLAs. Party leader K.S. Eshwarappa represents Shivamogga, while Mr Shettar is the MLA from Hubli-Dharwad Central. Mr Eshwarappa has already opted out of contesting the polls.
