Jagadish Shettar, who was Ex-Karnataka CM, had switched from Congress to BJP last year, and now he has returned to BJP on Thursday.
This move by Shettar to rejoin his former party comes at a time when Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from the India alliance have decided to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the state independently, without forming alliances with other parties.
At the age of 67, Jagadish Shettar rejoined the BJP in the presence of former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, along with Yediyurappa’s son and the state party chief BY Vijayendra. Shettar, who is part of the influential Lingayat community, had left the BJP in April last year after not receiving a party ticket. He then joined the Congress.
Later, the Congress gave him a ticket to contest from the Hubli-Dharwad Central assembly constituency, which is the same seat he represented when he was with the BJP.
About Jagadish Shettar:
Jagadish Shettar is a well-known politician in Karnataka, India. He has been elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) six times and served as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for 10 months from 2012 to 2013. Shettar started his political career in the 1980s and has held important roles in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), such as state president and leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
Recognized for his influence in the Lingayat community, Shettar has also held ministerial positions in the Karnataka government, overseeing areas like Rural Development and Panchayat Raj. Furthermore, he was the Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly during the BJP’s initial victory in the state in 2008.