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- Published: June 19, 2023 18:17
New Delhi: Jagadish Shettar, a Kanataka strongman from Lingayat community, who jumped ship from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to Congress before 2023 Assembly elections and then lost the polls has been made a party candidate for state legislative council by-elections.
Apart from Shettar, the Congress party has also named Tipannappa Kamaknoor and NS Boseraju as candidates for the MLC by-polls, slated for June 30.
Jagadish Shettar had contested the polls from Hubballi Dharwad central seat on Congress ticket but the veteran leader was outclassed by BJP nominee Mahesh Tenginkai.
Post Shettar’s loss in the elections, the Congress party was mulling on ways to accommodate the Lingayat strongman, ahead of 2024 elections.
The by-polls for MLC elections got necessitated after 3 BJP leaders Laxman Savadi, Baburao Chianchansur, and R Shankar had stepped down from their position. All these three had resigned from their posts after the party denied them party tickets to contest the Assembly polls.
With 135 MLAs in 224-member House, Congress enjoys comfortable majority and would in a condition to easily elect Shettar.
The MLC by-elections are scheduled for June 30, the result of which would be announced the same day.
The election dates for MLC by-polls were announced by Election Commission on June 6.