Big blow to BJP-JDS alliance as Yogeshwara joins Congress

NT Correspondent Bengaluru: In a dramatic development, BJP leader and former Minister C P Yogeeshwara on Wednesday quit his party and joined the Congress, which is now expected to field him in the November 13 Assembly bypolls from Channapatna. He met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also the State Congress chief, after resigning from the primary membership of the BJP earlier in the day.

Shivakumar inducted Yogeeshwara, who quit as an MLC on Monday, into the party at the Congress state headquarters here in the presence of Ministers Ramalinga Reddy, Krishna Byre Gowda, Cheluvarayaswamy, and Zameer Ahmed Khan, among other party leaders. "Yogeeshwara met me and told me that his political career started with Congress and wants to continue it in Congress, under the leadership of Mallaikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. He said he has decided to join the party unconditionally. After consulting our local leaders and after taking leadership's permission, he has been given the party's membership," Shivakumar said.

Terming politics as an art of possibilities, he dismissed suggestions that the Congress was welcoming the five-time MLA to the party as it had no "efficient" nominee in Channapatna, and said: "Congress never has a dearth of candidates." Noting that in the 2023 Assembly polls the Congress got only about 16,000 votes in Channapatna, but secured about 85,000 votes in the segment in Lok Sabha polls this year, Shivakumar asked all the party workers and leaders to work unitedly, and assured people of Channapatna a "new change" with Congress government in power.

"Whoever is given ticket will file nomination tomorrow.... Yogeeshwara too has also given application to be a candidate, along with his another name (for Channapatna)... is being sent to Delhi, they will decide."