Jagadish Shettar's wife Shilpa was seen weeping in his arms as supporters cheered.
Hours after former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar joined the Congress today, he arrived at his constituency to an emotional welcome.
In a video, Jagadish Shettar's wife Shilpa was seen weeping in his arms as supporters cheered and raised slogans congratulating him.
Mr Shettar joined the Congress this morning after the BJP asked him to sit out the May 10 Karnataka election, dropping him as a candidate.
After days of sulking and meetings with top BJP leaders, the Lingayat leader decided to switch to the Congress, and was rewarded with a nomination form to contest from his constituency Hubbali-Dharwad.
As he reached his home in Hubbali, Mr Shettar's wife broke down. The veteran leader was moved and appeared to console her. Congress workers showered rose petals on him.
Mr Shettar flew from Hubballi to Bengaluru in a special chopper last night ahead of his big switch.
"I thought being a senior leader, BJP will give me the ticket, but when I came to know that I am not getting it, I was shocked. No one spoke to me nor tried to convince me," Mr Shettar told reporters after joining the Congress.
Mr Shettar said he was unhappy at the way he was treated by the BJP leadership when he was denied the ticket.
"I was treated badly and forcefully thrown out of the party that I built. I am joining the Congress by accepting its ideology and principles," he said.
Mr Shettar has won six elections in the past. He won by over 21,000 votes in the last assembly election in 2018, defeating his Congress rival Mahesh Nalwad.
The results of the Karnataka election will be declared on May 13.