Former BJP MLA Ramanna S. Lamani joined the Congress at the party office in Bengaluru on October 12.
The two-time MLA was denied a ticket by the BJP to contest the Karnataka Assembly elections in May 2023 from the Shirahatti constituency, reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC). The constituency is located in Gadag district. The BJP fielded Chandru Lamani and managed to retain the seat.
Ramanna S. Lamani joined the Congress in the presence of KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Minister H.K. Patil, and KPCC working president Saleem Ahmed.
Two more former BJP MLAs may join Congress
Former BJP MLAs M.P. Kumaraswamy and Poornima Srinivas are also expected to join the Congress in the next few days. All three former legislators had met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the last few days.
Mr Kumaraswamy is a three-time MLA from Mudigere. On being denied a ticket by the BJP, he contested the 2023 Assembly elections on the JD(S) ticket, but was defeated by Nayana Motamma of the Congress.
Mr Kumaraswamy had blamed then BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi for not getting the ticket. Mr Ravi too was defeated in Chikkamagaluru constituency.
Poornima Srinivas served as MLA of Hiriyur Assembly seat in Chitradurga from 2018 to 2023. In the 2023 Assembly elections, she lost to Congress candidate D. Sudhakar who is now the Minister for Planning in the Siddaramaiah ministry.
She attributed her defeat to the failure of the BJP to fulfil the promises made to the Golla (cowherd) community, to which she belongs, prompting her to opt for a change.
She also claimed that the Congress has decided to give the MLC ticket to her husband D.T. Srinivas from the Teachers’ constituency.
Mr. Shivakumar said many BJP leaders are expected to join the Congress soon. He claimed that more than 40 BJP and JD(S) leaders opposed to the recently struck alliance between the two parties are willing to join the Congress.. Former Chief Minister and Congress MLC Jagadish Shettar and former Deputy CM and Congress MLA Laxman Savadi discussed a long list of leaders who have evinced interest in joining the Congress.
