‘Operation Hast’: Prominent leaders join Congress in Karnataka

Bengaluru, Aug 24 (IANS) Karnataka Congress on Thursday welcomed prominent BJP leaders hailing from the Shivamogga district of the state. Shivamogga district is considered a bastion of the BJP and the family of B.S. Yediyurappa dominates the politics. 

Ayanur Manjunath from JD (S) and S.P. Nagarajagowda, who contested against BJP MLA B.Y. Vijayendra as an independent candidates joined the Congress party in the presence of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Congress President D.K. Shivakumar at the party headquarters in Bengaluru.

Sources said that the leaders are welcomed to Congress despite the opposition from the local unit in view of the Lok Sabha elections. Yediyurappa’s son B.Y. Raghavendra is representing the Shivamogga MP seat since 2009. His other son B.Y. Vijayendra is an MLA from Shikaripura constituency in Shivamogga district. 

Nagarajagowda secured 70,802 votes as an independent candidate and was defeated by 11,008 votes. Sources explain that Nagarajagowda was denied a ticket to contest from Shivamogga as part of adjustment politics between Yediyurappa and senior leadership of the Congress party at the state level.

The party leadership wants to pass on a strong message by managing to pull the leaders and wants to win more than 20 seats out of 28 in the state. If a strong leader like Yediyurappa is challenged on his own turf, the Congress party will gain the upper hand in the political scenario, sources said.

Shivakumar had pulled former chief minister late S. Bangarappa’s son Madhu Bangarappa to Congress and gave him the portfolio of education to strengthen the party cadres in Shivamogga.

Sources explain that Shivakumar is now trying to pull Madhu Bangarappa’s brother Kumar Bangarappa who is in the BJP party presently. Kumar and Madhu, the brothers are arch political rivals. Kumar is close to Yediyurappa.

Speaking after inducting Ayanuru Manjunath and Nagarajagowda into the party, Shivakumar said that he is happy that the majority of leaders are joining the Congress party.

“During assembly elections, Congress suffered because of a lack of appropriate social engineering. The mistakes would be rectified during Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

“This is not my decision but has been taken after discussing it with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. We are not assuring positions to those who join the party. The party workers from grassroots level won’t be sidelined. Shivakumar won’t allow newcomers to dominate over the senior leaders of the party,” he said.

Sources said that Shivakumar is making all possible efforts to reduce BJP to single digits for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In the last Parliamentary elections, BJP swept 25 of 28 seats in Karnataka. Congress managed to win only one seat.