Bengaluru: After a stint with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLC and former minister A.H. Vishwanath is all set to return to Congress party and the date of Vishwanath joining Congress party has also been fixed, disclosed president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and former minister D.K. Shivakumar.
Shivakumar told media persons in Bengaluru on Friday that the date of Vishwanath's return to Congress party will be announced later. Vishwanath met Shivakumar at his Sadashivanagar residence in Bengaluru on Friday and discussed his return to the Congress party.
But, Vishwanath told reporters that he is not joining Congress party but supporting Congress party and clarified that “I am an independent man and not associated with any party now. I can support any party and I'm not a member of any party.”
Vishwanath said that he would be campaigning for former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who is contesting the forthcoming Assembly election from Kolar Assembly seat and exuded confidence that Siddaramaiah would win the election from Kolar seat.
Having been in Congress party for a long time, Vishwanath represented Krishnaraja Nagar Assembly seat in Mysuru and was also a Lok Sabha member representing Mysuru-Kodagu parliamentary seat. He left the Congress party to join Janata Dal Secular (JDS) in the 2018 election. He won from Hunsur Assembly seat on JDS ticket and was made the State president of JDS.
Vishwanath quit JDS in 2019 to join BJP. He unsuccessfully contested Hunsur bypoll and despite his loss in the bypoll, BJP made him an MLC. In BJP, Vishwanath came out in public criticizing BJP leaders. The reason for Viswanath to quit BJP is said to be over his unfilled dream to become a Minister in the BJP government in the State.
In the coming days, the KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar also claimed that some of BJP MLAs have evinced interest to join Congress party but was tight lipped on making the names of the BJP leaders willing to join Congress party.
He, however, stated that he is considering the roles and responsibilities to the leaders who are willing to quit BJP and join Congress party. “At some seats, it may not be possible to accommodate leaders from BJP,” he felt.
