Former Karnataka CM
Jagdish Shettar
, who had quit the BJP to join the Congress nine months ago, ahead of the state assembly polls in the southern state, rejoined the saffron party on Thursday.
Why Shettar matters
Shettar, 68, who is believed to be a veteran RSS leader, switched sides alleging that he was "humiliated" by the BJP at the behest of the party's national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh.
Shettar is a six-time legislator and has served as Karnataka CM between July 2012 and May 2013.
He is a popular leader of the Lingayat community - a dominant political group in the southern state which is estimated to be around 14% of its voting population.
Congress recorded a big win in Karnataka in May 2023. And a big force behind the victory is believed to be a massive shift of Lingayat votes. While 34
Lingayats
won on Congress tickets, only 19 won with BJP tickets.
But Shettar himself lost the election. He contested from the Hubli-Dharwad (Central) seat, in which he was defeated by
Mahesh Tenginakai
, who too is a Lingayat leader affiliated to BJP.
How things changed
After the election victory, Shettar did not get a place in the new Cabinet.
Several political observers say that Shettar was disgruntled over not being adequately rewarded by the Congress after the poll victory.
Can it help BJP?
The 2023 assembly poll defeat left the BJP ratted and the strategy to replace a large chunk of the old guard in Karnataka with younger faces does not seem to have worked.
The BJP is looking out for prominent leadership faces in Karnataka. Return of a mass leader like Shettar can contribute to its pursuit of swinging Lingayat votes again.
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