The political drama in Karnataka ahead of the assembly elections has taken a new twist with former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa revealed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) offered its dissatisfaction leader Jagadish Shettar a Rajya Sabha seat and a Union minister role to pacify him.
Union Minister Prahlad Joshi, who is also a resident and MP of Hubli-Dharwad, along with Dharmendra Pradhan, the in charge for Karnataka and Chief Minister Bommai, met Shettar at his residence on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at 9:00 PM at his home and did everything to persuade Shettar. But reportedly, he was bent on obtaining the seat for Hubli Central for the 7th time.
Shettar, a former chief minister and a senior Lingayat leader from the Hubli region, had expressed his unhappiness over being denied a ticket by the BJP from the Hubli-Dharwad Central constituency, which he had represented for six consecutive terms. He had also hinted at quitting the party and contesting as an independent candidate.
The central high command of the BJP suggested giving a ticket to Shettar’s wife, but reportedly he did not listen.
Yediyurappa, who had resigned as chief minister in July last year amid speculation of a leadership change, said that he had personally spoken to Shettar and tried to convince him to accept the offer made by the party high command. He noted that Shettar was a loyal and valuable leader of the Bparty’sd, hoping he would not leave the party.
However, Shettar has reportedly rejected the offer and insisted on contesting from his home turf. He has also claimed that he has the support of several MLAs and MPs from the region who are unhappy with the ticket distribution. He has accused the BJP of ignoring the aspirations of the Lingayat community, which constitutes a significant vote bank for the party in Karnataka.
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