BENGALURU: It was a terrific Thursday for the Congress in Karnataka with two popular leaders adding to its strength. Independent MLA from Hoskote Sharath Bachegowda on Thursday officially extended outside support to the Congress Legislature Party, while former MLA B Prasanna Kumar made a comeback to the party fold.Sharath, a former BJP youth leader and son of BJP Lok Sabha MP from Chikkaballapur B N Bachegowda, officially associated himself with the Congress Legislature Party in the presence of KPCC President D K Shivakumar and CLP chief Siddaramaiah. While he, as an independent MLA, cannot join the party, many of his supporters, Sharath said, have shown an inclination towards joining the Congress.
“Hoskote is not an island. I need support in raising issues concerning the public and I find that Congress Legislature Party shares my concerns whether it is the issue of fuel and LPG price hike or job losses etc. I have extended my support to the Congress and they will back me in my agitations for the people,” Sharath told TNIE. When asked if his next move was to formally join the Congress at the end of his tenure as an independent MLA, he said it was undecided.
With Sharath’s association with the party, the Congress hopes to reclaim its erstwhile clout in the Chikkaballapur LS seat. “When Sharath quit the BJP, many of his supporters followed suit. His support to the Congress will help us build a stronger cadre base in regions of Bengaluru rural district,” said Ramalinga Reddy, Working President, KPCC.
Sharath’s decision to walk out of the BJP and contest the 2019 Hoskote bypoll as an independent had invited much flak for his father and BJP MP B N Bachegowda. “Since I am an MLA and my father is an MP there is no clash of interest between us. When I decided to walk out of the party, 90 per cent of our cadres supported me,” Sharath said insisting that he was not keen on jumping to national politics just yet.
At a time when Congress legislator from Pulakeshi Nagar Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy has been openly expressing disappointment with the party leadership over DJ Halli riots, Congress welcomed his rival B Prasanna Kumar back into the party fold — a move that is being viewed as ‘Plan B’.
Prasanna, who quit the Congress and joined the JDS after Murthy joined the party from JDS, had lost to the latter in the same constituency. “He is our own leader. He had lost his path for a bit but has now come back on the right track,” said Shivakumar, as he welcomed Prasanna back into the party. Prasanna’s entry into the Congress comes at a time the BJP has been publicly supporting Murthy whose house was vandalised by a mob during the August 2020 violence.