BJP MP's son and independent MLA Sharath Bachegowda to join Congress
Bengaluru, Feb 18: Independent MLA Sharath Bachegowda on Thursday said he would join the Congress party sometime in February.
Amid speculation that he is joining the party on February 26, Sharath told PTI, "There is no date fixed as such but sometime in February I will join the legislative party of the Congress."
Sharath's entry to the Congress had been on the cards for quite some time but it is now that he has confirmed his next political move.
Sharath had rebelled against his party BJP and successfully contested the Hoskote assembly byelection in December 2019 defeating BJP's M T B Nagaraj.
Nagaraj, a BJP MLC and minister, was among the rebel Congress MLAs who had resigned from the assembly in 2019 bringing down the Congress-JDS coalition government. He joined the BJP later but was defeated in the bypolls.
There were accusations that Bache Gowda helped his son indirectly to win the election but he refuted the charges.
Sharath said he has not informed his father formally about his decision to join Congress.
"Since everything is in the public domain, I did not inform him yet. He must be aware of it," he added.
To a question whether Bache Gowda approved his decision, Sharath said he had to think of his political career.
According to BJP sources, Sharath had tried to make an entry into the BJP but Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and the state BJP leadership did not approve it as they were extremely upset with him for rebelling against the party and defeating their candidate.
The Congress' strength will go up to 68 from the existing 67 in the Karnataka Assembly when Sharath joins the party.
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Man kills 15-year-old son, dies by suicide in Maharashtra's Palghar
Palghar (PTI): A man allegedly strangled his 15-year-old son and hanged himself at their house in Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said on Thursday.
The incident occurred in Pimpalsheth village in the tribal-dominated Jawhar taluka on Wednesday, an official said.
Sharad Bhoye (40), a conductor with the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) who was under suspension, strangled his son Bhavesh with a wire rope, sub-inspector Anil Dighole said.
He said Sharad had been under suspension for the last three months and was depressed about the situation.
As per preliminary probe, Bhoye had gone to his farmhouse around noon on Wednesday and strangled his son, a Class 10 student, after he returned home from school, and also banged the boy's body on the floor, causing fatal injuries.
The man then hanged himself from the ceiling in another room in the house, the official said.
Bhoye's father, who lived nearby, discovered the bodies and the authorities were alerted, he said.
The official said the bodies were sent for post-mortem, and a case was registered.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
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