Bharatiya Janata Party MLA and former Minister Shivaram Hebbar (Yellapur constituency) and former MLA Renukacharya meeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday has further given credence to speculation on the potential departure of a few BJP MLAs to join the Congress.
Both leaders met and submitted petitions to the Chief Minister and maintained that they would not quit the BJP. But rumours are doing the rounds that Mr. Hebbar would quit the BJP along with Yeshwantpur BJP MLA S.T. Somashekar in the next few days.
Mr. Hebbar submitted a memorandum seeking declaration of Yellapur taluk as drought-hit following deficit rainfall. Mr. Renukacharya too claimed that he sought declaration of Honnali-Nymati taluk as drought-affected.
Money for constituency
A few days ago, a good number of supporters of Mr. Somashekar had joined the Congress in the presence of KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar. After Mr. Somashekar’s meeting with Mr. Siddaramaiah, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had released ₹7 crore for Yeshwantpur constituency works.
On Saturday, Mr. Somashekar convened a Janaspandana programme in his constituency and invited Mr. Shivakumar to the programme. Mr. Somashekar is planning to field his son in the forthcoming BBMP polls, probably from the Congress, if the BJP denied ticket, sources said. Meanwhile, Mr. Shivakumar said, “Leaders meet us to get their work done. What’s wrong in that?”
Mr. Renukacharya, a close aide of former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, however, dismissed speculation of him joining the Congress, and maintained that he was a strong BJP ticket aspirant to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Davanagere constituency.
Mr. Renukacharya said “on Varamahalakshmi festival day, I met my mentor Mr. Yediyurappa to seek his blessings, then I met the CM, Dy. CM and Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda to wish them.”
Scouting for candidates
It is being speculated that the Congress is scouting for leaders/candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Already, former MP Ayanur Manjunath has quit the JD (S) and joined the Congress and he is likely to be the party’s candidate from Shivamogga.
