Karnataka Election 2023: Congressman Jagadish Shettar still backs BJP?

After severing his decades-old ties with the saffron party, Jagadish Shettar now in his last leg of political career puts a Congress flag on his car and sets out for campaigning along with the party workers.

Team Newsable

First Published May 3, 2023, 2:57 PM IST

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who is contesting on a Congress ticket hoping to reclaim his lost self-respect, is still having photos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah hanging on a wall in his home-office. He also said that it is not good to remove them.

The photos adorn the wall although he is hurt the BJP chose not to pick him for the May 10 assembly elections. Having represented Hubli-Dharwad Central since 1994 on a BJP ticket, Shettar, however claimed the saffron party had no "address" earlier there and that he built it since then, making it a "Shettar vs Congress" battle ever since.

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After severing his decades-old ties with the saffron party, Shettar now in his last leg of political career puts a Congress flag on his car and sets out for campaigning along with the party workers.

Trying to put the past aside, Shettar is meeting supporters and party workers at his home-office sitting in his regular sofa with two photos of Modi and Shah still hung on the wall behind.

Speaking to a news agency while being seated on the same chair, Shettar asked, "what is so surprising about it," when queried why he has not removed the photos after exiting BJP.

"Immediately after shifting from one party to another, removing photos of earlier leaders is not a good thing. I cannot do that," he said. In the past, Shettar and his wife have said several times they have respect for PM Modi and Shah.

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"This election is a fight for my self-respect, not for political aspirations. As my self-respect was damaged, I joined the Congress for my own peace without putting conditions," he added. BJP should have given an honourable exit for him by fielding him from here for the last time.

"It did not happen due to General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh who pushed for a ticket for his close associate and did all this drama," he claimed.

The former Karnataka CM said the poll ticket was denied also because there was apprehension he may claim number one position among Lingayats after former chief minister BS Yediyurappa. Asked if he was facing difficulty in convincing voters as a Congress candidate now, he admitted facing some "embarrassment" in the beginning.

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(With inputs from PTI)

Last Updated May 3, 2023, 2:57 PM IST