Following political rivalry between brothers, six-time MLA and former Minister Malikayya Guttedar quit the BJP and joined the ruling Congress on April 19, Friday, in Bengaluru.
Mr. Malikayya Guttedar was upset following the induction of his brother Nitin Guttedar into the BJP.
He joined the Congress in the presence of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Minister Priyank Kharge.
Mr. Malikayya Guttedar had contested the 2023 Assembly elections from Afzalpur constituency in Kalaburagi district. He had lost to Congress candidate M.Y. Patil.
Mr. Malikayya Guttedar had secured 31,394 votes and was pushed to the third place by Mr. Nitin Guttedar, who secured 51,719 votes as an Independent candidate. Mr. Patil had emerged victorious with 56,313 votes.
After the induction of Mr. Nitin Guttedar into the BJP, Mr. Malikayya Guttedar had accused the former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and his son and State BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra of denying ticket to party leaders K.S. Eshwarappa, Sanganna Karadi, and Prathap Simha.
Mr. Malikayya Guttedar, who belongs to the Ediga community, would support Congress candidate Radhakrishna Doddamani, son-in-law of AICC president M. Mallikarjun Kharge in Kalaburagi. Another former Congress MLA Sharada Mohan Shetty also re-joined the party. She was the MLA for Kumta during 2013-18.
