1. Former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar quits Congress, returns to BJP
About a year after quitting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and joining the Congress, former Chief Minister of Karnataka Jagadish Shettar re-joined the the saffron party in New Delhi on January 25. Mr. Shettar had switched to the Congress after being denied a ticket by the BJP ahead of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections in May 2023.
When asked for a comment, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he was not aware of this development. However, he added that Mr. Shettar was treated respectfully in the Congress. “Mr. Shettar quit the BJP citing disrespect to his leadership and for being denied the party ticket in the last Assembly elections. He joined the Congress. A ticket was given to him to contest the polls from Hubballi, but he lost the election. Nevertheless, the party made him an MLC. No injustice was done to Mr. Shettar in the Congress...”