Karnataka Polls: Shettar And Savadi Betrayed BJP, Urge People To Defeat Them, Says Yediyurappa

Former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa stated that Shettar and Savadi cheated the party and should not be re-elected and that the BJP will form the government with an absolute majority in the state.

Former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa lashed out at former colleagues Laxman Savadi and Jagadish Shettar on Wednesday (April 26), saying they both cheated the party and should not be elected this time, and he is confident that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will form the government with an absolute majority in the state. 

Claiming that party candidate Mahesh Tenginkai would win this election, former Karnataka CM said: "He (Jagadish Shettar) is going to be defeated here (Hubli). So, 1 lakh people are going to gather here & we are going to have a big rally and big programme," Yediyurappa said. 

"They have betrayed our political party. They defrauded the party. That's why I said Laxman Savadi and Jagadish Shettar should not be elected this time. I am absolutely certain that they will lose this election. There is no question about it," he added further. 

Earlier, in response to Yediyurappa's remark in Hubli calling for Jagadish Shettar's "defeat," the latter stated that he was speaking under pressure from his party. While Yediyurappa stated that all BJP leaders would work hard to ensure Jagadish Shettar does not win the Hubli-Dharwad Central seat, Shettar stated that the BJP veteran would not have made the statement if his son, Vijayendra, had not been given a party ticket.

READ | 'Vijayendra Will Win With Margin Of 50,000 Votes': Yediyurappa Confident Of Son's Victory

Shettar resigned from the BJP after his name was not included in the second candidate list for the upcoming Karnataka elections. He joined the Congress the next day. 

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According to media reports, the BJP was forced to enlist former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa for damage control after being hit by former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi's rebellion in Belagavi district, and then taken aback by Jagadish Shettar's sudden rebellion. Although the BJP claims that disgruntled leaders leaving the party has no effect, insiders say that the party's prospects have been harmed by the sudden rebellion of two Lingayat leaders, one from the Ganiga Lingyat community (Savadi) and the other from the Banajiga Lingyat community.