“Came back home”: Jagdish Shettar after rejoining BJP

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 26 (ANI): Newly inducted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jagdish Shettar said that it seems that he has come back to his “home” after he joined the party.

“Bharatiya Janata Party is my home. I came back to my home,” Shettar said speaking to reporters on Thursday.

The former Karnataka Chief Minister who had joined the Congress ahead of the 2023 legislative elections last year, returned to the BJP on Thursday.

Shettar said he had a meeting with the party’s national leadership Amit Shah and JP Nadda on Thursday as well as state leaders BY Vijayendra, BS Yediyurappa and joined the BJP following their guidance.

“Today I joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. Today morning I met our national leaders Amit Shah, Nadda. They heartily welcomed me. In Karnataka, I met state party president BY Vijayendra, BS Yediyurappa and other leaders. They also welcomed me. I joined them according to their guidance,” he said.

Responding to a question asked by a reporter on contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the former Chief Minister said, “Whatever the high command directs, I will do.”

Senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa welcomed Jagdish Shettar to the party and said that the latter was thinking of rejoining the party for the last few days.

“He (Jagadish Shettar) was thinking of coming back to BJP and today we welcomed him back to the party…Today he met Amit Shah and discussed many things and without any condition he has joined our party. We welcome Jagdish Shettar to our party,” Yediyurappa said speaking to reporters.

Responding to a question by a reporter whether former BJP leader Laxman Savadi, who had also quit the party ahead of the Assembly elections will rejoin the party, Yediyurappa said, “I could not contact him. Today I will contact him.”

Shettar rejoined the BJP in the national capital in the presence of former Karnakata chief minister BS Yediyurappa, Union Minister Bhupender Singh Yadav, Karnataka BJP president Vijayendra Yediyurappa, Union Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

There had been ongoing rumours about Shettar’s return to the BJP for the past few days, to which the Congress leaders in Karnataka had responded by saying that the BJP’s leadership crisis in the state prompted the party to head towards Shettar.

Shettar had quit BJP and joined Congress in April 2023, ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections.