BENGALURU: Senior BJP leader and Kudligi MLA N Y Gopalakrishna, who resigned from his assembly membership, joined the Congress on Monday. The ST Nayaka leader is likely to contest the assembly polls from Molakalmuru constituency as the Congress nominee.
For Gopalakrishna, it is a homecoming. The six-time MLA won five times on a Congress ticket from his hometown Molakalmuru, and Ballari constituencies. In 2018, he switched to the BJP and won from Kudligi, while Transport Minister B Sriramulu contested from Molakalmuru.
This time, Sriramulu will move to Ballari Rural, and rebel Thippeswamy who was reinducted into the BJP, will contest from Molakalmuru. Taking this as an advantage, Gopalakrishna (70) joined the Congress, with the assurance that he would get the party ticket. “My family members and supporters wanted me back in Molakalmuru, as the Congress nominee,” reasoned Gopalakrishna.
“There is a Congress wave in the constituency, with the backing of Ahinda communities -- minorities, backward classes and Dalits,” said B Jayanna, a staunch supporter from Hanumanthanahalli village.
Gopalakrishna joins the trend of ruling BJP and JDS legislators joining the Grand Old Party. “Many former and sitting MLAs — from Bidar to Chamarajanagar — are joining the party. More are knocking at the door, but I won’t reveal anything until I receive their applications. It’s not possible to give positions to all who join the party, we are dealing with it carefully,” said KPCC president D K Shivakumar. He claimed the trend was testimony that the people are in favour of the Congress.
HIGH DRAMA AT KPCC OFFICE
There was high-voltage drama outside the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office in Bengaluru as supporters of Yogeesh Babu, who was defeated in Molak-almuru in 2018, protested against Gopalakrishna joining the party, and being promised the party ticket. “He is my boy whom I had groomed and made ZP member, I am not bothered about his oppo-sition,” said Gopalakrishna. Shivakumar promised that Babu would also be accommodated, and given responsibility.