Top leaders join Cong in K’taka

Bengaluru, Aug 24: Karnataka Congress on Thursday welcomed prominent BJP leaders hailing from the Shivamogga district of the state. Shivamogga district is considered a bastion of the BJP and the family of B.S. Yediyurappa dominates the politics.
Ayanur Manjunath from JD (S) and S.P. Nagarajagowda, who contested against BJP MLA B.Y. Vijayendra as an independent candidates joined the Congress party in the presence of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Congress President D.K. Shivakumar at the party headquarters in Bengaluru.
Sources said that the leaders are welcomed to Congress despite the opposition from the local unit in view of the Lok Sabha elections. Yediyurappa’s son B.Y. Raghavendra is representing the Shivamogga MP seat since 2009. His other son B.Y. Vijayendra is an MLA from Shikaripura constituency in Shivamogga district.
Shivakumar had pulled former chief minister late S. Bangarappa’s son Madhu Bangarappa to Congress and gave him the portfolio of education to strengthen the party cadres in Shivamogga.
Sources explain that Shivakumar is now trying to pull Madhu Bangarappa’s brother Kumar Bangarappa who is in the BJP party presently. Kumar and Madhu, the brothers are arch political rivals. Kumar is close to Yediyurappa. (IANS)