Congress in Karnataka looks at inducting leaders from opposition to shore up LS election prospects
Bengaluru, Aug 16: Amid reports that Congress is looking at inducting leaders from other parties, its state president Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said several political workers are willing to join the party, and a decision will be taken keeping in mind party interest, aimed at increasing its vote share in the Lok Sabha polls.
The Congress won just a single Lok Sabha seat out of 28 in Karnataka in the previous elections. This time, party leaders said, the target is to win 20 seats.
Shivakumar said the local leadership of the Congress has been given the go-ahead to have any kind of understanding locally that would benefit the party, depending on the situation there.
"Parliament election is first (priority) for the Congress party. We have told our party workers not to panic or have any grudge come in the way of arriving at any understanding locally. We have asked them to increase the vote share. We have left it to our local leaders to decide depending on the local situation," Shivakumar said in response to a question.
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Speaking to reporters here, he said, "In certain situations, the party may not have a presence (in some places). In such a situation, we will have to ensure the party is strong there. Leave big leaders, many workers of other parties have come forward to join us. In such a situation, we will do whatever is in the interest of the party."
There have been reports in a section of the media that a few leaders and sitting MLAs from the opposition -- especially the BJP, who had earlier quit the Congress, leading to the collapse of the then Congress-JD(S) coalition government -- will be rejoining the party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
The Congress-JD(S) wobbly government of 2018 had collapsed when 17 legislators resigned and came out of the ruling coalition. They defected to the BJP and facilitated its return to power.
In the bypolls held subsequently in 2019, the BJP won 12 out of 15 seats, as most of these defectors re-contested and emerged victorious. Most of them were made ministers in the BJP government.
Congress Member of Parliament from Bengaluru Rural D K Suresh said that anyone who wants to join the party is welcome.
Stating that he is not aware as to whether anyone from other parties is willing to join Congress, he, in response to a question, said, "Ultimately the party will decide whether to induct some or not."
State Home Minister G Parameshwara said that if someone from the BJP is upset about the way they are being treated there and wants to join Congress, it will be discussed within the party and decided.
"If they have trust in Congress, its ideology and leadership, and want to work for the party, there is nothing wrong. Many who had gone to other parties, after realisation, have come back, and they have been taken in," he added.
However, BJP MLA Munirathna, who was one among those who had defected from Congress in 2019, said he will not leave the saffron party.
"Among the 17, who will go (to Congress) I don't know. I will at least not quit the BJP and go. I will function for five years with the BJP in opposition. I'm ready to retire from politics, but won't quit BJP," he said.
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Gujarat tribal leader Mahesh Vasava quits BJP, cites betrayal of constitutional values
New Delhi: Prominent tribal leader and former MLA Mahesh Vasava resigned from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on April 14, citing deep concerns that the country is no longer being governed in accordance with the Constitution. His resignation came on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, a symbolic move underscoring his disapproval of the current political climate.
Vasava, the son of veteran tribal politician Chhotu Vasava and former MLA from the Dediyapada constituency in Gujarat, had joined the BJP in March 2024 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. He submitted his resignation to Gujarat BJP president C.R. Paatil.
Speaking to the media, Vasava said, “On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar, I have to say that the country is not being run according to the Constitution. Adivasis, Dalits, OBCs, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and other poor classes will unite and fight the ideology of the RSS and the BJP.”
Vasava also expressed dissatisfaction with his treatment within the party following the election results. “After the results were announced, BJP leaders did not invite me to any meetings or public programs. They deliberately isolated me,” he said, adding that he would now dedicate his efforts to the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), founded by his father. “A political earthquake is coming, and Bharuch will be its epicenter,” he warned.
Reacting to the development, Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said Vasava’s resignation on Ambedkar Jayanti was a clear indication of the BJP’s alleged anti-Adivasi stance and disregard for constitutional values. “This resignation has once again exposed the anti-Constitutional approach of the BJP,” Doshi stated.
Vasava’s departure adds to the political churn in Gujarat, especially among tribal and marginalized communities, and may signal a shift in tribal political alignment ahead of future state and national elections.
