HUBBALLI: Former chief minister and Congress leader Jagadish Shettar, who lost the Hubballi-Dharwad Central constituency against BJP, has left for Bengaluru on Sunday giving rise to speculation on whether the Congress has offered him any post.
There are murmurs in political corridors that Shettar could be offered a high post in the new government and if he denies the offer, he will be requested to work to build the Congress in the state. Being a tall Lingayat leader, it is said that the Congress wants to continue its bond with Shettar who joined the party only last month quitting BJP.
Shettar, however, has denied any such possibility and said that there has been no such offer from the Congress. “As a senior leader of the party, it is my duty to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new government. Hence I decided to come to Bengaluru,” he told The New Indian Express.
A close aide of Shettar said that the Congress has clarified that his induction in the party was more important than winning or losing. “The Congress leaders have promised that in case Shettar loses the elections, the party will ensure he will be in active politics... a suitable position will be offered to him,” an informed source said.
Shettar, who was denied a ticket from the BJP, revolted and joined Congress a few weeks before the assembly elections. Political pundits feel that to be the main reason for him losing by a huge margin against Mahesh Tenginkai of the BJP.
There are also theories that Shettar would have lost even if he contested on a BJP ticket due to the anti-incumbency factor. “We are certain that Shettar will not retire soon. He may even contest in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Dharwad against his old political friend and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi,” the source added.