Former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, April 16, joined the Congress party, ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections. The former BJP leader had earlier expressed disappointment over the party’s call asking him to step down from contesting the polls and make way for other younger leaders. Shettar has represented the Hubballi-Dharwad Central constituency for six terms since 1994.
Shettar said that the BJP had changed from its party-first approach, and had become a people-centric party. “The way they have treated a senior leader has hurt. I am the senior-most leader after Yediyurappa. Some people were worried that I would be made leader if I became an MLA since Yediyurappa quit electoral politics. So they did not want me to contest,” he said.
Shettar joined the Congress party in the presence of All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge and state senior leaders DK Shivakumar, Siddaramaiah and MB Patil, who was instrumental in bringing him over to the Congress.
Further, Shettar asked why he was not informed earlier of their plans to accommodate him in Delhi and why the offer was made after he expressed his hurt over the way he was asked not to contest. A bitter Shettar said that he was treated like a small child when he got a phone call and was told that KS Eshwarappa and he would not be given tickets and they had to give a letter agreeing to step down from electoral politics and also hold a press conference announcing the decision. “Is this the way to behave towards a senior leader? They could have sent me out respectfully. They could have called me to Delhi and explained it to me and I would have agreed,” he said.
Shettar said he had also asked BJP leaders to allow him to contest the elections, and then resign after six months. He said, "I told them I would resign after six months, and they could put whatever candidate they wanted. But they did not agree to that either."
On Sunday, the prominent Lingayat leader, while speaking to reporters after resigning from the BJP, had said he would discuss within his “close circles” about the possibility of joining Congress.
When questioned about whether he would approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the issue, Jagadish Shettar responded by stating that he had no intention of reaching out to either the PM or the Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Shettar explained that as holders of high-ranking government positions, the two should already be aware of the current situation. "It is their responsibility to be informed about what is happening," he stated.
Shettar has held various high-profile positions within the party and the government. Shettar first won a seat in the Karnataka Assembly in 1994, and has since maintained his position for six consecutive terms. Over the years, he has served as the Speaker of the Karnataka Assembly, as well as the Leader of Opposition. Additionally, Shettar has been a part of the Karnataka cabinet, where he has held several portfolios. In 2019, he was inducted into the Yediyurappa cabinet, but did not receive a ministry when the cabinet was dissolved in 2021.
Shettar's family has had a long association with the BJP and Jan Sangh, often called the parent organisation of the BJP. His father SS Shettar served as the first Jan Sangh mayor of any city in south India. His uncle Sadashiv Shettar was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1967 and was the first legislator from Jan Sangh in south India.
The recent rebellion by Jagadish Shettar came as an unexpected blow to the ruling party in Karnataka, as he has been known to be a staunch supporter of the party. In 2011, when BS Yediyurappa was forced to step down as Chief Minister, he recommended DV Sadananda Gowda as his successor. However, Yediyurappa changed his mind a year later and proposed the name of Jagadish Shettar as the new Chief Minister. Despite being a Lingayat leader like Yediyurappa, Shettar was chosen as he was not seen as a threat to Yediyurappa's position of power.
Shettar, who had affiliations with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was not considered to be a hardliner. He was known for his ability to work with everyone, and was seen as a potential proxy for Yediyurappa. However, Shettar surprised many when he rebelled. He established a direct line of communication with the BJP high command, which did not sit well with Yediyurappa. As a result, demands for his removal from the party soon followed.