Former BJP MLA from Karnataka’s Kagwad, Raju Kage, is all set to quit the party and join Congress on Tuesday. Raju Kage held talks with Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly – Siddaramaiah, on Monday and announced his decision.
Speaking to TNM, Raju Kage said that he would like to contest as a Congress candidate from Kagwad. “I have spoken to Siddaramaiah and I will contest from Kagad on a Congress ticket if the party gives me a ticket,” Raju Kage said.
Raju Kage is yet to tender his resignation to the BJP state President Nalin Kumar Kateel. He had come down to Bengaluru on Sunday and held talks with former Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar before making the decision.
Kage had openly expressed his disappointment at not being allotted a ticket to contest from Kagwad. The BJP has not yet announced its candidate list for the December 5 bye-elections as the Supreme Court has not yet delivered its verdict in the disqualified MLAs case.
The 17 disgruntled leaders from the Congress and JD(S) had resigned en masse in July this year, which brought down the Congress-JD(S) coalition government. These rebel leaders had decided to join the BJP and contest bye-elections. However, former Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar had disqualified them, which led the renegade leaders to move the Supreme Court, seeking its order to quash the disqualification. The court’s judgment will be pronounced on Wednesday.
Raju Kage was the BJP’s face in Kagwad, and is an arch rival of Srimanth Patil, the disqualified MLA from this segment. Raju Kage has been vocal about his disappointment with the BJP for not offering him a ticket to contest the bye-polls.
Kage has also been campaigning against Srimanth Patil in Kagwad. He has alleged that Srimanth Patil faked an illness and got out of the resort where Congress leaders were lodged.
Srimanth Patil was one of the legislators, who was cooped up in Golden Palms resort in Bengaluru ahead of the vote of confidence. Srimanth Patil had left the resort and was flown on a private jet to Mumbai’s Renaissance Hotel, where the rebel leaders were lodged.
Srimanth Patil’s picture, where he was lying on a stretcher with cables monitoring his heart rate, had gone viral. Patil had also written an email to the Speaker saying he would not be able to attend the session as he was unwell and was on his way to Mumbai for treatment.
Speaking to TNM, a senior Congress leader said that the party will decide whether or not Kage must be given the Kagwad ticket depending upon the Supreme Court's judgment in the rebel MLAs' case.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, speaking to the media, said, "It does not matter who joins or leaves the party. BJP will win the bye-elections in at least 13 out of 15 constituencies."