BELAGAVI: The return of former chief minister Jagadish Shettar to the BJP, after his short stint with the Congress, may not have much of an impact in North Karnataka ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, but would help Belagavi sitting MP Mangala Angadi or her daughter Shradha Shettar get a BJP ticket from Belagavi Lok Sabha segment in the General Election.
As Shradha is Shettar’s daughter-in-law, the BJP would not have allotted the party ticket to her if the latter was in the Congress. With his return to the party fold, the BJP may stop its ongoing efforts to select an able candidate and may field Mangala or her daughter, sources said.
According to sources, the party leadership is keen on giving the ticket to Shradha to capitalise on the popularity of her father Suresh Angadi, who had won four Lok Sabha polls back-to-back from Belagavi, before he died in 2020. Mangala was able to win the LS bypoll, riding on her husband’s popularity in 2021.
However, it is unclear whether Shettar’s return to the BJP was unconditional or he has put conditions before the BJP leadership in New Delhi. Sources said he may be fielded by the BJP from the Haveri Lok Sabha seat and his daughter-in-law from Belagavi. He may not get to contest on a party ticket from his hometown Hubballi, as Union Minister Pralhad Joshi is already expected to enter the fray from there.
Meanwhile, several Congress leaders have not considered his exit from the party as a serious matter and said it would not make any impact on the party at any level. Already, Shettar had lost the Assembly election from Hubballi as a Congress candidate and would not have got a party ticket for the Lok Sabha polls, even if he had remained with the Congress, they added.
Athani MLA Laxman Savadi, who also joined the Congress, weeks before Shettar last year, has said he would never join the BJP and that his stand was very clear. He also added that the BJP leadership had not contacted him.
Happy to return to BJP, says former cm
Former CM Jagadish Shettar said he had rejoined the BJP without any condition. He told the media at Bengaluru airport that he was very happy to return to the BJP, and said he would work according to the wishes of the party. Shettar said that when BY Vijayendra became state president, he and former CM BS Yediyurappa put forward a proposal to him to rejoin the party, and several MLAs and former MLAs also wanted him to return to the party. Vijayendra said this is a clear indication that the BJP will win 28 Lok Sabha seats and that all party workers and leaders are happy.