Former BJP Leader CP Yogeeshwara Joins Congress, Likely To Be Channapatna Bypoll Candidate

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar officially welcomed Yogeeshwara into the Congress fold at a ceremony held at the party’s state headquarters.

Shivakumar urged party workers to unite and work towards securing victory in Channapatna assuring them of a "new change" with the Congress government in power. 

Source : X

Former BJP leader and five-time MLA CP Yogeeshwara joined the Congress party ahead of the crucial November 13 by-polls in Karnataka. Yogeeshwara met with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, the state Congress president, following his resignation from the BJP earlier in the day.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar officially welcomed Yogeeshwara into the Congress fold at a ceremony held at the party’s state headquarters. Senior ministers Ramalinga Reddy, Krishna Byre Gowda, K Cheluvarayaswamy, and Zameer Ahmed Khan were present at the induction event.

Expressing confidence in Yogeeshwara’s return to the Congress, Shivakumar said, “C.P. Yogeeshwara visited me at 8 am and expressed his desire to return to the party where he started his political journey. I introduced him to the Chief Minister, and in the presence of senior leaders, he formally joined Congress today.”

ಕೆಪಿಸಿಸಿ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರು ಹಾಗೂ ಡಿಸಿಎಂ @DKShivakumar ಅವರ ಸಮ್ಮುಖದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಜಿ ಸಚಿವ, ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಮುಖಂಡರಾದ ಸಿ.ಪಿ ಯೋಗೇಶ್ವರ್ ಅವರು ಪಕ್ಷ ತೊರೆದು ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಪಕ್ಷಕ್ಕೆ ಸೇರ್ಪಡೆಯಾದರು. ಕೆಪಿಸಿಸಿ ಕಾರ್ಯಾಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಾದ @GCC_MP, ಸಚಿವರಾದ @RLR_BTM, @BZZameerAhmedK, ಚಲುವರಾಯಸ್ವಾಮಿ, @krishnabgowda, ಡಾ. ಎಂ.ಸಿ ಸುಧಾಕರ್, ಮಾಜಿ… pic.twitter.com/fAQ4tO026z

— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) October 23, 2024

 

Dismissing speculations that the Congress lacked a strong candidate in Channapatna, Shivakumar asserted, “Politics is the art of possibilities. Congress has no shortage of efficient candidates. In the 2023 Assembly elections, we received around 16,000 votes in Channapatna, but in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, our vote count rose to nearly 85,000 in this segment.”

Shivakumar urged party workers to unite and work towards securing victory in Channapatna, assuring them of a "new change" with the Congress government in power. 

Yogeeshwara has also submitted an application to contest from Channapatna, and his name, along with an alternative choice, has been forwarded to the high command for final approval. With the last date for filing nominations set for October 25, all eyes are on the Congress leadership to confirm its candidate for the by-polls.

However, Yogeeshwara’s departure from the BJP comes as a blow to the party, particularly in Channapatna, where he had a strong base.