Karnataka Congress 4th list out: Jagadish Shettar to contest from Hubbali-Dharwad

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, April 18, 2023: The Congress party on Tuesday released the fourth list of 7 candidates for the upcoming for Karnataka Assembly elections. Jagdish Shettar, former Karnataka CM received a ticket from Hubli-Dharwad-Central.

 

A six-time MLA and a former Chief Minister of Karnataka, Jagadish Shettar was upset with the BJP after the party released the first list of 189 candidates without his name. He went to Delhi to visit BJP’s national president J P Nadda to convince about giving him an election ticket and let him fight from his home constituency.

Even BJP leader B S Yediyurappa was confident that Jagadish Shettar would be given a BJP ticket to contest the Karnataka elections.

 

#KarnatakaElections2023 | Congress releases another list of 7 candidates for the upcoming election.

Jagadish Shettar to contest from Hubli-Dharwad-Central. pic.twitter.com/IrtDX5yx44

— ANI (@ANI) April 18, 2023

However, Jagadish Shettar reaching out to the party high command failed to have the desired impact as the BJP released the second list of 23 candidates without his name.

On Sunday, the former Chief Minister resigned from the BJP, stating that he felt humiliated about being refused a party ticket to contest the upcoming elections.

On Monday, he joined the Congress at the party’s Bengaluru office in the presence of national president Mallikarjun Kharge, state Congress chief D K Shivakumar, veteran leader Siddaramaiah among others. The same day, the BJP came out with its third list of candidates and fielded the party’s general secretary Mahesh Tenginakai from Shettar’s home constituency.

Jagadish Shettar went all guns blazing at the BJP asking why the party did not give him an election ticket despite his political life being a ’clean chit, with no black spots.’ He even accused BJP secretary B L Santosh of conspiring against him and humiliating him by denying him an election ticket.

The exit of the Lingayat leader from North Karnataka region has sparked a political slugfest with the Congress projecting the BJP as an ’anti-Lingayat’ party. The BJP, meanwhile, believes that Jagadish Shettar’s exit will not have any impact on its political fortunes and is confident of winning at least 150 or more seats in the upcoming elections and form the government in Karnataka.

Karnataka is scheduled to go to the polls on May 10 and the results will be announced on May 13.