JOIN USTwo former MPs, retired IAS officer join BJP in Karnataka
The BJP on Thursday inducted former Congress MP S P Muddahanumegowda, actor-politician Shashi Kumar and retired IAS officer B H Anil Kumar among others, giving it formidable candidates who can win in seats where the party’s chances were bleak.
They were inducted into the party in the presence of BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and other party leaders.
Muddahanumegowda, a former Tumkur MP, was miffed and sulking ever since he was sidestepped during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A sitting MP then, Muddahanumegowda was forced to vacate his seat for JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda, who ended up losing. The Congress’ promise of sending him to the Rajya Sabha was not kept.
Muddahanumegowda is the BJP’s option from the Kunigal assembly segment where he will be up against Congress’ MLA H D Ranganath, who is KPCC president D K Shivakumar’s co-brother.
Shashi Kumar, a leading actor in the 1990s, became the JD(U) Chitradurga MP in 1999. He joined the Congress in 2006. In 2018, he contested from Hosadurga as the JD(S) candidate and lost. He is an aspirant for the BJP’s ticket from Challakere, an ST reserve currently represented by Congress’ T Raghumurthy.
Anil Kumar, a former additional chief secretary who was BBMP commissioner, is aspiring to contest from Koratagere, an SC reserve, against Congress’ G Parameshwara.
Bommai said the inductions showed political consolidation as opposed to polarisation. “Polarisation is when there are two opposite directions. But now, there’s only one direction and that’s the BJP,” he said.
The BJP, Bommai said, would treat all those who join the party with equal love, trust and respect. “Positions are decided by the party and not any one person. Even tickets will be decided by the parliamentary board,” he told the new entrants subtly.
BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel claimed that many more leaders from the Congress would join the saffron party in the next 15-20 days or before the 2023 assembly elections.
“Everybody was saying things are difficult for the BJP. But, the government’s decision to enhance reservation for SC/STs has changed the scenario,” Kateel said, expressing confidence that the BJP would achieve its target of winning 150 seats in the assembly polls.
Former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit’s special officer Ramesh Muniyappa, Congress Seva Dal state vice-president Hanumantrao Javali, former Karnataka State Coir Development Corporation chairperson G Venkatachalaiah of the Congress, Samajwadi Party general secretary H Y Ravikumar, Raitha Sangha’s Saneev Reddy and Dalit leader Venkatesh Murthy also joined the saffron party.