Congress poaches former BJP, JD(S) lawmakers

Former lawmakers KS Kiran Kumar and Sandesh Nagaraj of the BJP and H Ningappa from JD(S) joined the Congress on Monday, which the party said would give it some edge in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly election.

Kumar, who has RSS roots and is seen as a loyalist of veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, represented the erstwhile Kallambella segment. In 2018, he gave up his claim on the Chikkanayakanahalli ticket for J C Madhuswamy, the law minister. Kumar, the chairperson of the Karnataka State Bioenergy Development Board, decided to quit the BJP as he is unlikely to get the ticket from Chikkanayakanahalli this time, too.

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Nagaraj was a JD(S) MLC who joined the BJP in May last year. Ningappa was the JD(S) MLA from the Tumkur Rural constituency.

These leaders joined Congress along with their supporters in the presence of AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah, former deputy chief minister G Parameshwara, KPCC working president Saleem Ahmed, former union minister KH Muniyappa and others.

While Surjewala said Monday’s inductions were “a huge boost” for his party, Siddaramaiah claimed there is a pro-Congress atmosphere ahead of the polls. “That’s why several people are joining our party. We also expect some former ministers to join,” the former chief minister said.

Slamming the BJP for practising the politics of hate, Siddaramaiah said BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel was “unfit” to hold his post. “Such people who say Love Jihad must be discussed instead of development are unfit,” he said.

Accusing BJP of communalism, Parameshwara asserted that Congress would come to power.