reported by, Shivani Gupta
Last Update: April 30, 2023, 8:15 PM IST
Jagadish Shettar’s election prediction is that the Congress will get a clear majority. (PTI)
Before that, even the deposits of the BJP candidates were forfeited. This was not a stronghold of the BJP. Jagdish Shettar, 67-year-old sitting MLA from Hubballi-Dharwad Central, who has now joined the Congress, says it became one because of the Shettar-BJP alliance
Amidst the campaign trail, former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket denied for the upcoming elections and is now contesting from the Congress, said that his “hard work had made Hubli-Dharwad a stronghold of the BJP”.
“Before my first election in 1994, I worked for the party as a unit president for three years. I got workers for the party. Then BJP came here and I got elected. Before that, even the deposits of the BJP candidates were forfeited. This was not a stronghold of the BJP. It became one because of the Shettar-BJP alliance. I created an atmosphere and mindset among the people,” said the 67-year-old sitting MLA from Hubballi-Dharwad Central.
Elaborating on his record, Shettar further said, “Every time I contested elections, I won with huge margins. I connect with the people here. Injustice and hurting my self respect is also showing disrespect towards people’s wishes. So a trend has started. People are saying that they will vote for me after seeing my personality and work. It is not important from which party I contest elections.
Shettar is hurt at being denied the ticket and has not held back since. “I am a senior. The party has never told me what my minus point is. People above 70 are also contesting elections. All the surveys related to me are positive. There is no sting operation CD or any allegation against me. I had asked the party to tell me the reason for the refusal. No party leader has been able to tell me why it is so.
Then, why the denial?
“I have openly said that it is due to personal interest of BL Santosh.”
The walls of his office still have framed pictures of him with the PM Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. When asked why he had not removed them yet, he replied: “I did only yesterday. Why should I delete all the pictures with Modi and Shah? They are all memories. It is not good human nature to throw them out immediately.
According to Shettar, the BJP no longer has a distinct ideology. I will present my opinion on issues like Muslim reservation on the platform of the party. What ideology is left in BJP? There is a CD against six ministers, stay order has been sought from the court and they are contesting elections. There are so many rowdy-sheeters. They say that BJP is honest. Where? When you had fewer seats, you brought Congress people to prominence. Wasn’t their ideology different then?”
Shettar’s election prediction is that the Congress will get a clear majority. “The Congress will definitely get a clear majority,” he said. It can even reach 130 or above.
When asked the reason for this, he said, anti-incumbency wave, inflation, unemployment and corruption. Many important people like Laxman Savadi and myself have been left out,” he said, adding that this would harm his former party.
Shettar belongs to the Lingayat community, which accounts for close to 17-18 per cent of Karnataka’s voting population and has also played a major role in the formation of governments in the state.
“Is the decision on Lingayat reservation [increasing it to seven per cent from the current five per cent] It is not clear whether people will benefit. It is only a cabinet decision. How can they (BJP) say that it benefited the people? Lingayats are not satisfied with what BJP has done. People are calm only because of elections. After the election, we will see,” he signed off.
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