Yediyurappa loyalist U B Banakar joins Congress

Former Hirekerur lawmaker UB Banakar joined the Congress on Monday, dealing a blow to the ruling BJP in Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's home district Haveri.

Banakar is likely to be the Congress's candidate at Hirekerur, which is currently represented by Agriculture Minister B C Patil.

Banakar was inducted in the presence of Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah, and former Speaker K B Koliwad.

"Many people said the Congress was an empty house and that nobody would join us. There's a long list of people who'll join Congress," Shivakumar said, adding that Banakar's induction was long due.

Earlier this month, Banakar resigned as chairperson of the Karnataka State Warehousing Corporation, as director of the Karnataka Veerashaiva-Lingayat Development Corporation, and from the primary membership of the BJP.

A known loyalist of former chief minister B S Yediyurappa, Banakar was sulking ever since the BJP inducted Patil, who was earlier with the Congress. With Patil as the BJP's face in Hirekerur, Banakar saw no future for himself in the saffron party.

Banakar was Hirekerur MLA twice - first in 1994 from BJP and in 2013 as the candidate of Yediyurappa's breakaway faction KJP. In 2018, Banakar lost against Congress's Patil. However, Patil later joined the BJP.

"I was with the BJP for 30 years in various capacities. In 2018, Patil had won with everybody's support. But, he quit because he was hungry for power. I will bring Congress back to power in Hirekerur," Banakar, the son of former Speaker BG Banakar, said.

The Congress also inducted former Kudligi JD(S) lawmaker NT Bomanna's son Dr Srinivas, who belongs to the ST community. Mallikarjun Roni from Vijayapura was inducted as well.

Siddaramaiah called upon the new entrants to work towards defeating the BJP. "We have never seen such a horrible, communal government. To save the state, its people, Constitution, and democracy, the BJP must be defeated," he said.