BENGALURU: Former BSP MLA N Mahesh on Thursday formally joined the BJP. Along with him, about 150 BSP workers and supporters from Chamarajnagar, Mysuru, Kodagu, Hassan, Chikkamagalur, Mandya, Ramanagara, Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts also joined the ruling party.
Political analysts feel that Mahesh’s entry could give the BJP a boost in Chamarajanagar district, where the party already has an MP. The first big test for Mahesh will be the zilla and taluk panchayat polls.Mahesh said many of his supporters who joined BJP include City Municipal Corporation members, Taluk and Gram Panchayat Members. He was expelled from the BSP in July 2019 as he was not present in the House to vote for the Congress-JDS coalition government.
Although he is not being inducted into the ministry, his supporters are confident that he will soon be rewarded, considering there are four vacancies and also because Chamarajanagar district is not represented in the cabinet. But Mahesh told TNIE that he did not bargain for a ministry before joining.