Former CM Jagadish Shettar, 2 Others Take Oath As MLCs In Karnataka

Former CM of Karnataka Jagadish Shettar took oath as MLCs along with two others in Karnataka in the presence of the now CM Siddaramaiah.

Karnataka Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah greet newly elected Karnataka Legislative Council members Jagadish Shettar, N S Boseraju and Tippannappa Kamaknoor ( Image Source :PTI )

Three leaders including former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar took oath as the new MLCs in Karnataka after these seats were vacated following the resignation of Baburao Chinchansur, R Shankar and Laxman Savadi. The other two that took oath are Karnataka Minister & Congress National Secretary N S Boseraju, and party leader Tippannappa Kamaknoor. CM Siddaramaiah, Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti and Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil were also present on the occasion, reported news agency PTI. 

The new MLC members were elected unopposed in the June 30 elections as the opposition BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular) did not field candidates.

The BJP won 66 seats, the JD(S) 19, and the Congress 135 in the elections for the 224-member Assembly.

Shettar has earlier served as a Chief Minister of Karnataka for 10 months from July 12 2012. He was heading the BJP government back then. He has also served as the leader of oppositin in the State Assembly and as the Speaker of Assembly separately, as reported by PTI. 

Shettar joined the Congress ahead of the Assembly election after the saffon party denied him a ticket.

He had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly election from Hubli-Dharwad Central consitutency on a Congress ticket, reported PTI. The six-term MLA received 36.31 percent of the vote and lost to BJP's Mahesh Tenginakai in the assembly elections. The Congress party allegedly promised him a major job, and he is now one of the MLC candidates.

Shettar’s move of joining Congress and quitting BJP ahead of elections proved beneficial to the Congress to break the Lingayat vote bank of BJP.

This development in Shettar's career is being viewed as his comeback.