4-time BJP MLA from Kagwad Raju Kage has bid goodbye to the BJP. He will join the Congress and contest on a Congress ticket from Kagwad in the December by-poll.
Bengaluru: The issue of disqualified Congress and JD(S) MLAs has been haunting not just the disqualified members, but the BJP as well.
In the latest news of rebellion within its own fold, Raju Kage, a former BJP MLA from Kagwad, Karnataka has resigned from the primary membership of the BJP.
Raju Kage was seeking a ticket from the BJP to contest the December by-poll from Kagwad.
The 4-time BJP MLA minced no words in taking a jibe against the BJP.
He said, “I lost against Srimanth Patil in the 2018 elections. Today, he is contesting on a BJP ticket. When I spoke to the CM BS Yediyurappa and other senior BJP leaders about it, they asked me to help Srimanth Patil win. Later, I told the CM that I wanted to contest on a BJP ticket. But he insisted that I would not be given a ticket. I told him if I can’t contest now, I can’t contest anytime in the future. It is an example of how I am being humiliated.”
The leader also added that he is in touch with top state Congress leaders.
He added, “I have met senior Congress leaders like Dinesh Gundu Rao, DK Shivakumar and former CM Siddaramaiah. I have decided to quit the BJP. I will be filing my nomination on November 18.”
For leaders like Raju Kage, the BJP’s decision to field disqualified MLAs in their place is something literally indigestible. They feel that the party for which they worked tirelessly has let them down, in addition to which, they also feel that the party has come to power only because of these 17 disqualified MLAs.
Reacting to Raju Kage’s exit, CM Yediyurappa said that such things (like quitting parties and joining other parties) are common and exuded confidence that the BJP would win at least 12 seats.