UDUPI: A day after BJP and JDS forged an alliance with JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda’s party settling for four seats, a disgruntled BM Sukumar Shetty, Byndoor former MLA, blamed BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh for the “dire strait” of the saffron party in Karnataka and said he would be joining Congress during a programme in the Byndoor Assembly constituency.
During a meeting over giving him the Byndoor ticket, Shetty told this newspaper Saturday that Santhosh had allegedly humiliated him.
“BJP had no presence in Byndoor before I built the party. And now, I will strengthen Congress. BJP will not come to power in the state for the next decade,” he said, adding that he has severed his ties with Lingayat strongman and former CM BS Yediyurappa.
Shetty had recently met Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar Bengaluru and Congress former MLA from Byndoor, K Gopala Poojari. He confirmed that he has discussed joining Congress with Shivakumar. On Friday, he accompanied Minor Irrigation Minister, NS Boseraju to meet former MLC and Congress leader Prathapchandra Shetty.
Shetty joined the BJP in 2013 and defeated four-time MLA Congress candidate Poojary in the 2018 election as he successfully consolidated Bunt, Devadiga, Konkani-Kharvi and Mogaveera voters.