BJP MLA S T Somashekar called on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Credit: X/@CMofKarnataka
JD(S) leader Ayanur Manjunath met KPCC president D K Shivakumar, while former minister and Yeshwanthpur BJP MLA S T Somashekar called on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday, giving credence to rumours that Congress was planning to poach leaders from rival parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Releasing photographs of Somashekar’s meeting with CM, the CMO said in a statement, “Somashekar meets CM and seeks more funds for his constituency.”
However, it is speculated that the meeting discussed about the possibility of inducting Somashekar into the party at the opportune time.
Somashekar was one of the 17 MLAs who quit Congress to join BJP in 2019.
Prior to the Assembly polls, Ayanur Manjunath, close aide of BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa from Shivamogga, had resigned as BJP MLC to contest from the Shivamogga city seat on a JD(S) ticket. But he lost the election.
After his meeting with Shivakumar, Manjunath said his close association with Yediyurappa would continue irrespective of the party he was in.
“I come from a Sangh Parivar background. But due to political compulsions, I quit BJP to join JD(S). Now, I plan to leave JD(S) and join Congress. I tried my best to join Congress ahead of the polls, but could not due to technical issues. I will soon join Congress,” he told reporters.
“Everyone is concerned about their future in politics. We have the numbers on our side, we don’t need to poach anyone. But if someone wants to join us, how can we say no?” Shivakumar said, speaking to reporters.
Reacting to Manjunath’s plans to join Congress, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy said, “How can anyone stop people who have already decided to leave?”.