Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader CP Yogeshwar on Wednesday joined Congress in the presence of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. He joined the Congress ahead of the Channapatna assembly bypolls, for which he was demanding a ticket from the BJP.
After his joining, Shivakumar said, “CP Yogeshwar visited me at 8 AM. He told me that my politics started from the Congress party. I will come again to the Congress party. I immediately made arrangements for him to meet the CM. I will bring CP Yogeshwar to the attention of our Congress high command leaders and join the Congress party. In the presence of everyone, CP Yogeshwar will join the Congress party today."
Shivakumar was addressing a press conference when he added, “I had to go to Wayanad. Priyanka Gandhi is registering her nomination today in Wayanad. But with all this development today, I will not be able to go to Wayanad.”
Yogeshwara meets Siddaramaiah
Earlier, CP Yogeshwar met Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah at his Cauvery residence, in the presence of Deputy CM Shivakumar and other Congress leaders. The meeting was attended by several Congress leaders including former MP DK Suresh, Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, MLA Kadalur Uday Gowda, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Ponnanna, and Yatindra Siddaramaiah.
Talking to the media, Yogeshwar said, "I thank DK Suresh for bringing me to the Congress party. I started my politics from the Congress party. I left the Congress party and went to the BJP Party and now I have come back to the Congress party. I have joined the Congress party as my political development has become a problem after the BJP-JDS party united."
Controversy around Channapatna seat
Notably, Yogeshwar had been an MLA from Channapatna for five times earlier. The constituency is going to bypolls after it was vacated by Union minister H D Kumaraswamy as he won the Lok Sabha polls. Under the BJP-JDS alliance, the seat is under the JDS quota and it will field a candidate from the seat on behalf of the NDA. Yogeshwar sought refuge in the Congress because of that. Now, Yogeshwar is likely to be fielded as the Congress candidate.
Regarding Channapatna, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said, "Candidates contesting Channapatna by-elections will make nominations tomorrow. Congress candidate from Channapattanna will be nominated tomorrow at 11 am. I am sending two names to the Congress High Command for the Channapatna ticket. Let's see who the high command leaders will give the ticket to." The Channapatna seat is seen as a big fight between the state’s two most powerful Vokkaliga leaders, Deputy CM Dk Shivakumar and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy.
(With ANI Inputs)
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