BJP MLC R Shankar, popularly known as 'Pendulum' Shankar for his frequent jumps between various political parties, has resigned from the Karnataka Legislative Council. His resignation comes after the BJP denied him a ticket to contest in the upcoming Assembly elections. Shankar, who was among the 17 MLAs who helped the BJP form a government in 2019, tendered his hand-written resignation at the office of Karnataka Legislative Council chairman Basavaraj Horatti.
Shankar had aspired to contest from Ranebennur in the 2023 Assembly elections, but the BJP gave the ticket to Arun Kumar Pujar, who won the bye-elections on BJP ticket in 2019. Expressing his disappointment, Shankar said that he was hurt by the party's decision, considering he had been instrumental in helping the BJP come to power in Karnataka.
Speaking to reporters, Shankar expressed disappointment and dismay at the BJP’s decision to deny him ticket. “I am among those who gave life to the BJP government in Karnataka, but those very people are being sacrificed," Shankar told reporters. "Somewhere I am hurt that I reached this stage because I favoured the BJP. I could have served the people of my taluk, but that opportunity did not happen.”
Shankar also stated that the people of his constituency were willing to support him if he contested the Assembly election independently. He expressed regret for not sticking to the decision of his electorate in the past and said he wanted to rectify it and fulfil the aspirations of the people of Ranebennur.
Shankar's political journey has been marked by frequent jumps from one political party to another. Elected as the lone MLA of Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janata Party (KPJP) from Ranebennur in 2018, he later joined the Congress. However, he withdrew his support from the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in 2019, resulting in his disqualification from the Karnataka Assembly. He then joined the BJP but was not given a ticket to contest in the December 2019 bye-election. Instead, he was made an MLC, with the party citing unfavourable survey reports for not fielding him in his constituency.