Deve Gowda aide YSV Dutta, ex-minister Nagesh join Congress

They joined the party along with their supporters at the KPCC office here in the presence of state president D K Shivakumar

Senior JD(S) leader YSV Datta and former minister H Nagesh joined Congress on Saturday. Datta and Nagesh joined Congress in the presence of Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar. Hundreds of supporters thronged the Congress office to see their leaders being inducted.

Datta, a former Kadur MLA, was a close aide of JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda.

Nagesh, an Independent, is the Mulbagal MLA. He served as a minister in the JD(S)-Congress coalition before extending support to the BJP. Later, he became a minister in the BS Yediyurappa government. On January 9, Nagesh resigned as chairperson of the Ambedkar Development Corporation.

Former Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) chairperson Mohan Kumar of the BJP and Kolar Yuva Janata Dal president Dayanand also joined Congress on the occasion.

Speaking at the induction, Shivakumar said this was just the beginning. "Once every week or once in three days, there will be inductions," he said. "The pro-Congress wave has begun in Karnataka. People have already decided. Congress will exceed expectations and win big to form the government," he said.

Welcoming the new entrants, Siddaramaiah urged his party colleagues to "defeat the communal BJP" and bring Congress to power.

While Datta will be considered for the Kadur ticket, Nagesh is said to have expressed his interest in contesting from Mahadevapura, his native.

"I've been associated with one family and party for 50 years. My decision today means there's a historic emergency facing the country, state and my constituency," Datta said.

Nagesh said he found Congress' ideology better than BJP's. "If SC/STs are safe, then it's because of Congress," Nagesh, a Dalit, said. "My native is Mahadevapura, but I'll work hard wherever the party asks me to contest from."

With Nagesh joining Congress, there are no Independent MLAs left in the Assembly. Hoskote's Sharath Bachegowda is already an associate member of the Congress Legislature Party.