By evening, Sundara Devinagara was welcomed back to the Congress by party leaders. (Representational)
Highlights
- Sundara Devinagara resigned from the Congress party
- Mr Devinagara was then welcomed by BJP and given a BJP flag
- But he later returned back to Congress after talks with party leaders
With a little more than a month before the assembly election in Karnataka, local leaders are trying to secure their political future by jumping parties. One of them was a Congress leader, who had resigned from his party post, only to return a few hours later.
Sundara Devinagara, secretary of Panemangaluru block Congress was welcomed to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday morning at a function in Mangaluru.
BJP leader U Rajesh Naik, who will contest the Karnataka assembly election against state Forest Minister B Ramanath Rai, handed over the BJP flag to him at the function.
By evening, Mr Devinagara was welcomed back to the Congress by party leaders, including Chandra Prakash Shetty Thumbe, at a programme held at a village around 40 km from Mangaluru.
Mr Devinagara returned to the Congress apparently after extensive talks with party leaders, according to sources quoted by news agency Press Trust of India. The terms of his return are not known.
Six-time Congress MLA Malikayya Venkayya Guttedar also joined the BJP today after announcing his decision last week. Following his announcement, Congress expelled the Afzalpur legislator and former minister. Mr Guttedar had decided to quit Congress as he was unhappy with the party and state leadership over not being given a portfolio, according to reports.
On the other hand, seven legislators of Former Prime Minister HD Gowda-led JD(S) quit the state assembly and joined the Congress party after cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha biennial election.
(With inputs from PTI)