Congress Rebel Lawmaker in Karnataka Umesh Jadhav who had earlier this week resigned from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress joined Bhartiya Janta Party hours before PM Narendra Modi. He had on Monday submitted his resignation to Karnataka Speaker Ramesh Kumar.
Jadhav had joined the Bhartiya Janta Party in the presence of Karnataka BJP President BS Yeddyurappa, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar and a host of other party leaders. He was seen in the rally site at Kalaburagi.
Former Congress MLA Dr. Umesh Jadhav (in the center wearing a yellow badge) who submitted his resignation to Speaker of the Karnataka assembly on March 4, seen at the venue of the prime minister's event in Kalaburagi, Karnataka. Former CM & BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa also present. pic.twitter.com/xPyy2RivbH
— ANI (@ANI) March 6, 2019
Umesh Jadhav from the stage said that he is happy and proud of joining the Saffron Party. He also sought blessings from the people of Kalaburagi to elect Narendra Modi as PM again in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.
BJP Insiders claimed that Umesh Jadhav may be pitched against the Congress Leader Mallikarjun Kharge in the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls from Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat. Mallikarjun Kharge, a nine-time Lawmaker and two-term Parliamentarian have never tasted electoral defeat.
Hours after he submitted his resignation to the party, Congress attacked him and said he has been sold to BJP. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KKPCC) President Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday said that ‘Umesh Jadhav’s resignation was a foregone conclusion because he had already sold himself to BJP. Gundu added is leaving the Congress party for his selfish motives. He can be called a betrayer’.
The Congress earlier urged the Assembly Speaker to take action against Jadhav and three other rebels after they failed to attend the Congress Legislature Party meeting in January The speaker is yet to take a call on that.
Earlier in January last month, Congress issued notices to the four MLAs seeking an explanation from them for their absence at the Legislature Party meeting. Congress in the show cause notice asked the rebels ‘Why Action Should not be taken against them’
Umesh Jadhav was reportedly upset with the “autocratic” style of Social Welfare Minister Priyank Kharge. Umesh Jadhav who is a part of the rebel group led by Ramesh Jarkiholi that threatened to topple the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in the state. Jadhav currently represents Chincholi in Kalbyrgi district, a bastion of senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.
The Congress-JD(S) together has 117 MLAs in Karnataka Assembly earlier with Congress 80 and the JDS 37, while BJP has 104 in the 224-member Assembly. The halfway mark is 113. However, Jadhav is expected to be suspended from the Assembly after he turncoats.
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