BENGALURU: Congress, which lured leaders from other parties ahead of the Assembly elections to score big, is trying a similar strategy with the 2024 Lok Sabha polls approaching. The move is causing ripples within BJP, which is struggling to find a pan-Karnataka leader, a la BS Yediyurappa, to hold the party state unit together and to fend off such threats.
Seeing an opportunity, Congress headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and DCM DK Shivakumar, have set out to poach leaders from the saffron party. One such likely target for Congress is Yeshwanthpur BJP MLA ST Somashekar, who had called a meeting of his supporters recently where he was told to join the Grand Old Party. Nelamangala Congress MLA Srinivas, who was also present at the meeting, claimed that Somashekar is likely to join Congress.
As a counter, BJP leaders, including party state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and senior leader CT Ravi, called up Somashekar on Thursday and assured him of addressing his concerns with a section of local BJP leaders averse to him.
Former union minister DV Sadananda Gowda met Somashekar and discussed various issues, including the latter’s resentment in the BJP. “Somashekar was disappointed with some BJP workers in his constituency as they had joined hands with JDS to defeat him in the Assembly polls. Siddaramaiah will accept him if he rejoins Congress.
KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has given me the task of bringing Somashekar and his supporters back to Congress,” Srinivas asked. Shivakumar giving similar tasks to other partymen to attract leaders from other parties cannot be ruled out. Former minister KC Narayanagowda too is on the radar, sources said.
Somashekar’s switch, if it happens, could help Congress win 20 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state which is what Siddaramaiah has promised the party high command. Like Somashekar, many turncoats, including former ministers Shivaram Hebbar and Byrati Basavaraj, are said to be deciding on their political futures., sources added. Congress is eyeing big leaders from BJP to field them as its candidates in Lok Sabha polls.