Bengaluru: A day after he was denied a ticket for the upcoming Karnataka assembly polls, former chief minister and six-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Jagadish Shettar has quit the party, claiming that he was “humiliated” and treated as “use and throw”.
The 67-year-old joins a growing list of BJP legislators who are parting ways with the party citing similar reasons, which could dent the party’s chances in the polls scheduled for 10 May. At least 16 legislators have been replaced and nearly five have since parted ways with the party, including Laxman Savadi, BJP’s former deputy CM. Savadi, another prominent Lingayat leader who alleged that he was humiliated by the party, joined the Congress Saturday and was given a ticket to contest from Athani in Belagavi.
On Sunday morning, Shettar met Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri and submitted his resignation from the assembly, ending his almost four-decade association with the BJP.
Speaking to ThePrint Sunday, Shettar said he was yet to chart a future course of action. “The Congress has sent me feelers, but I am yet to decide anything,” he said.
A day earlier, Shettar had told the media that he would contest the assembly polls “but with whom and how is something I will determine after consulting with my well-wishers and people from the constituency”.
He had also said that he had no blemish on his record, no corruption charges or rowdy sheets, or ‘CDs’ (sex scandals), but the BJP still denied him a ticket. “I am not after power or position. All I had asked was to continue serving my people as a legislator,” he insisted.
Following Shettar’s resignation, former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa told the media Sunday that he was sad with his former colleague’s decision, but added that this exit would have no impact on the BJP’s chances in the polls.
Claiming that the Congress was trying to cash in on the exit by stating that Lingayats had been insulted, Yediyurappa said that the Veerashaiva Lingayat community was given all the respect during ticket distribution and in positions of power.
“I retired voluntarily and was under no pressure from anyone,” Yediyurappa said.
Yediyurappa had said earlier this week that he was “100 per cent certain” that Shettar would be accommodated.
However, after failed talks between him and the other BJP leaders late Saturday, Shettar expressed disappointment during his interaction with media persons outside his residence in Dharwad. “They (BJP) have given tickets to newcomers, people with criminal backgrounds in the Bengaluru region. I don’t have any black marks, practiced discipline…but they are denying me a ticket,” he had said.
Shettar added he was not a person who would defy anyone, but this time he felt like the party’s decision to deny him a ticket must be challenged. “I have been an MLA for six terms and I want to retire respectfully as an MLA,” he said.
There is some reason to believe that there is a possibility of Shettar joining the Congress. His son is married to the granddaughter of veteran Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa and a granddaughter is engaged to Congress MLA M.B. Patil’s son.
‘Offered bigger role’
Union minister and Karnataka in-charge, Dharmendra Pradhan, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Pralhad Joshi, among others, met Shettar late Saturday, but talks between them failed as the party could not convince him to rethink his decision.
“In the case of Jagadish Shettar, he is a senior and experienced leader. We told him that we would give him a much bigger role and responsibility at the central level. (J.P.) Nadda also said a role befitting him would be given and Amit Shah also spoke to him. We too spoke to him last night,” Bommai told media persons Sunday.
He added that the party was open to giving a ticket to anyone Shettar might suggest, including someone from his family. “But even then, he decided to resign. He was among the people who told us about the ideals of the party,” said Bommai, adding that the BJP had given ample opportunities to leaders from the Lingayat community.
Like him, Yediyurappa — flanked by Pradhan — told reporters in Bengaluru that the party had told Shettar that he would be accommodated either in the Rajya Sabha MP or the Union Cabinet.
Shettar later told reporters about the meeting: “Dharmendra Pradhan, CM Basavaraj Bommai, Pralhad Joshi and others had come and I asked Pradhan the same question…told him it was okay that the high command has denied me a ticket, but on what grounds.”
Demanding to know why a six-time MLA was denied a ticket, he added, “There is no such rule. There was no anti-incumbency, criminal background, or any such reasons given to deny me a ticket…but they kept saying it’s a decision by the party.”
He also confirmed that senior BJP leaders had offered him other roles. “They told me that they had big plans for me and would give me a position in other parts of the country with higher responsibility. They asked me to choose any member of my family to whom they would give a ticket. But I asked them if they were ready to give my family member a ticket, why were they denying Jagadish Shettar one? They had no answers,” he said.
The BJP’s decision to not consult or inform leaders who were to be replaced beforehand is being touted as a reason for disenchantment among party leaders. Raghupathi Bhat, S. Angara and several other BJP leaders have said they were saddened that the party decided not to give them tickets, but it hurt them even more to find this out through the media.
Shettar — a Lingayat force
The former CM is a Lingayat leader and his decision to part ways and contest the polls is likely to dent the BJP’s chances in its bastion of Kittur-Karnataka (northwestern districts) from where it draws most numbers. The six districts in this region have a total of 50 seats and the BJP registered 30 victories here in the 2018 assembly elections.
Shettar enjoys considerable clout in the northern Karnataka region and his exit could dent the BJP’s hopes of returning to power in the state with a full majority.
Starting his public life with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Shettar later joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He was elected Dharwad district president of the BJP in 1994 and rose through the ranks to become the Leader of the Opposition in 1999. He has since held various portfolios in the state cabinet, including rural development, panchayati raj and large and medium industries.
In 2008, he was elected as speaker of the state legislative assembly. And in July 2012, when the Karnataka BJP was faced with a delicate political crisis, he was appointed D.V. Sadananda Gowda’s replacement as the chief minister.
Shettar served as CM till May 2013 when the BJP’s numbers were reduced to just 40 in the assembly elections held that year owing to Yediyurappa’s decision to part ways and float his own party. The Congress came to power with a full majority.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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