The Janatha Dal (Secular) received yet another jolt on Sunday as Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti declared that he would contest the ensuing elections for Karnataka West Teachers' Constituency on a BJP ticket.
Speaking to media persons on Sunday, Horatti said he would join the ruling party before the elections to the MLC seat which he has been representing for the last seven terms. Elections for the teachers' Constituency are expected to be held in June or July.
While he did not explain the reasons for his decision to leave JD(S), he said senior leaders in BJP, including B S Yediyurappa, have welcomed him aboard, while former CM H D Kumaraswamy assured that JD(s) would not field any candidate against him.
Responding to a question about state BJP leaders writing to BJP's J P Nadda against "recruiting" a leader who is nearing 75 years, Horatti (72) said he was not aware of any such letter against him and reiterated that the entire BJP Karnataka top brass has welcomed and supported his decision. "BJP leaders will deal with such a letter," he said.
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(Published 03 April 2022, 12:42 IST)
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