Karnataka Assembly election: Denied ticket by BJP, ex-deputy CM Laxman Savadi joins Congress

Former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi on Friday joined the Congress, just two days after resigning from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after being denied a ticket in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly election due in May 2023.

Earlier in the day, Laxman Savadi had a meeting with senior Congress leaders DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah at the latter's residence before making the switch.

The Karnataka Assembly election 2023 is scheduled for May 10, with counting on May 13. The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief D K Shivakumar confirmed Laxman Savadi's entry into the party.

Savadi was aspiring to contest from the Athani Assembly constituency, but the BJP chose to field sitting MLA Mahesh Kumathalli instead. The development is expected to have an impact on the dynamics of the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka.

Speaking of the “humiliation” Laxman Savadi has faced at the BJP, Shivakumar said, “There is no condition. He feels that he has been humiliated. It is our duty to take such great leaders into the Congress Party. There are more than 9-10 sitting MLAs who want to join us but we don't have space to accommodate them.”

Laxman Savadi is a three-time MLA from Athani but lost in the 2018 elections to Kumathalli (then in the Congress). Kumathalli was among the group of defectors who helped the BJP to bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition and form its government under the leadership of B S Yediyurappa in 2019.