Karnataka elections: Laxman Savadi quits BJP after being denied ticket
Former Deputy CM of Karnataka and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Laxman Savadi resigned from the Legislative Council and party membership on Wednesday, reported ANI. His move comes a day after the BJP released its first list of 189 candidates and denied him a ticket for the upcoming Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections, which are scheduled to take place on May 10.
Won't go around with begging bowl: Savadi
Speaking to ANI, Savadi said, "I have made my decision. I am not the one who goes around with a begging bowl. I am a self-respecting politician. I am not acting under the influence of anyone." Meanwhile, Karnataka CM and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai said he was in contact with Savadi and advised him not to make any hasty decision.
Savadi lost 2018 elections to sitting MLA Kumathalli
To note, Savadi, a three-time MLA from Athani, lost the 2018 elections to Mahesh Kumathalli, who was then in the Congress. Sitting MLA Kumathalli, who joined the BJP in 2019, has been given a ticket from the same seat, as he was among the defectors who helped the party bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition and form its government in Karnataka.
Savadi may join Congress soon
Sources told NDTV that Savadi might join Congress, but DK Shivakumar, Karnataka's Congress chief, said that Savadi has not spoken to him yet about the matter. Notably, the 63-year-old is a loyalist of former CM BS Yediyurappa and was awarded for his role in mass defections in 2019 under his government, despite being caught watching porn inside the Assembly in 2012.
BJP ready to field 52 new candidates in upcoming polls
In an announcement last night, the BJP dropped several MLAs and added as many as 52 fresh faces to its list of candidates for the upcoming polls. In another shocker, former CM Jagadish Shettar's name was missing from the BJP's list, following which he reportedly headed to New Delhi to raise the issue with the leadership.
