Former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar on Thursday, who had quit the BJP to join the Congress ahead of the Karnataka elections in May 2023, rejoined his old party on Thursday, in the presence of former CM and senior party leader BS Yediyurappa.
The Lingayat leader joined the party in the presence Union ministers Bhupender Yadav and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, son of BS Yediyurappa and Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra and its media head Anil Baluni.
Shettar had earlier arrived at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, accompanied by Yediyurappa and Vijayendra.
“The national leaders (of the BJP) also said I should return, and this morning I spoke to Amit Shah, who welcomed me affectionately. I am now an MLC of the Congress and I have resigned via email. I have spoken to (Legislative Council Chairman Basvaraj) Horatti on the phone and also communicated my decision to D K Shivakumar. I am joining the BJP,” Shettar said.
The 68-year-old leader said that he was returning to the party to “strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi” ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April-May this year.
“The party gave me a lot of responsibilities in the past. Due to some issues, I went to the Congress. In the last nine months, there were a lot of discussions. Also, BJP workers asked me to come back to the party. Yediyurappaji and (Karnataka BJP president B Y) Vijayendraji also wanted me to come back to the BJP. I am rejoining the party with the belief that Narendra Modi ji has to become the prime minister again,” he said after joining the BJP.
Shettar had resigned as a BJP legislator and joined Congress in April last year, after he was denied ticket to contest the May 10 Karnataka Assembly elections.
A prominent Lingayat leader in Karnataka, the six-time MLA had served as the 15th CM of Karnataka from 2012-2013. He had also served as the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly from 2014-2018 when the Siddaramaiah-led government came to power.