BENGALURU: Former Congress minister MTB Nagaraj is a bitter man, but hasn’t given up hope of making it to the Yediyurappa cabinet.
On Sunday, he made a last-ditch pitch for his cause and visited Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa.
“The CM spoke to me for 38 minutes, he assured me that he will give me some position to work and serve the people. I don’t know what he has in mind, he did not specify, but I trust Yediyurappa, he will do as he says,’’ Nagaraj told TNIE, but added, “I never expected such a situation.’’
It is a strange situation for Nagaraj and Adagur H Vishwanath, who crossed over to the BJP from the Congress-JDS coalition but lost the bypolls.
Nagaraj, a cabinet minister in the Kumaraswamy cabinet, was one of the last few MLAs to leave the coalition government in mid-July.
He was seen literally running into the special aircraft bound for Mumbai in mid-July, at the peak of Operation Lotus.
Asked if he had expected to land in a no-win situation, he said he had never imagined it.
“Today, people call and tell me that they are unhappy that I lost, they say they regret not voting for me.”
He said it was Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, and former CM HD Kumaraswamy who ensured his defeat in the bypoll.
“They are angry that my exit led to the collapse of the government. Even Shivakumar supported my opponent, and they split my community votes,” he said bitterly.
The other big loser, Vishwanath, did not make an effort to meet Yediyurappa but did point out that when DyCM Laxman Savadi, who lost his assembly seat, and possibly CP Yogeshwar, another loser, can be accommodated, the CM will have to keep his word.
“The sky will not fall if I am denied a ministerial berth,” said Vishwanath, adding that he had managed to boost the BJP vote share in his constituency Hunsur, from a few thousand to over 53,000.
“We have been cleansed of the stain of disqualification, and it is up to the CM to keep his word,” he said.