With the Assembly polls in Karnataka scheduled for May 10, politicians from various parties are busy jumping ship, seeking “greener fields”. As expected, the Congress, which is keen to make a comeback, is witnessing a surge in the number of leaders from other parties joining it.
State unit President of the Congress, D K Shivakumar, said that several leaders from the BJP and the JD(S) have joined the Congress ahead of the May polls, which is evidence that the public sentiment is in favour of the Congress and it will come to power.
Shivakumar’s statement came after he inducted Kudligi BJP MLA N Y Gopalakrishna, who resigned as a legislator last Friday, into the Congress.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said that BJP and JD(S) legislators joining the Congress voluntarily is a “big evidence” that people have decided for a change, after the “failure of the double engine government”.
“There is a big list of people wanting to join the Congress…the party has not assured tickets to anyone. We will screen every name, only if we are able to accommodate them, we will consider,” he said.
Gopalakrishna, a six-time MLA, was earlier with the Congress and had been elected from Molakalmuru Assembly segment in Chitradurga district four times, and once from Ballari, before joining the BJP and winning from Kudligi.
Over denial of Congress ticket in 2018, he had joined the BJP ahead of the elections. The saffron party gave him a ticket from Kudligi in Vijayanagara district instead of Molakalmuru, as senior leader Sriramulu was fielded from there. He had won from there.
Recalling his and his family’s long association with the Congress, Gopalakrishna after joining said he will work for the party’s victory in Ballari, Chitradurga, and Vijayanagara districts.
It remains to be seen if the entry of leaders from other parties will help the Congress in the upcoming polls. However, the fact that several leaders from the BJP and the JD(S) are joining the Congress is a clear indication that there is a shift in public sentiment, and it may have a bearing on the results of the elections.
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