BENGALURU: Former chairman of the State Backward Classes Commission Jayaprakash Hegde on Tuesday joined the Congress in the presence of DyCM and state Congress president DK Shivakumar, Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara, and other leaders. He is likely to be the party candidate from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha seat.
Addressing party leaders after joining the Congress, Hegde said they will work together for the candidate decided by the party.
Hegde’s tenure as Commission chairman ended on February 28, the day he submitted the Socio-Economic Survey, also known as caste census, to the state government. He was appointed chairman when the BJP was in power in the state. Hegde said it is better to discuss the report after knowing its details, instead of doing so without even knowing its contents.
Some sections not happy
Though many in Congress are celebrating Jayaprakash Hegde joining the party from BJP, a section within the organisation expressed concern that the man, who let down Congress by joining BJP, has been inducted.
District level Congress leaders, who met state Congress president DK Shivakumar and expressed their concerns, told TNIE that his entry should not demoralise party workers as he had worked against Congress after joining BJP in 2016-17 during local body elections. His falling out with senior AICC leader late Oscar Fernandes too had not sent right signals among party cadres, they said.
The Chikkamagaluru unit of Congress worked unitedly and won all the five Assembly segments, but Hegde’s entry should not go against this. Some senior Congress leaders said they don’t want to share details of the discussion with Shivakumar.