Operation Hast: 15 plus leaders from BJP, JD-S join Congress in Karnataka

Bengaluru: More than 15 prominent leaders and former corporators from BJP and JD-S joined Karnataka's ruling Congress n Bengaluru on Friday in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

The function was held at the Bharat Jodo Auditorium at the party office here.

Former Deputy Mayor L. Srinivas, Prasad Babu, and former taluk panchayat member Anjinappa were among the main leaders.

Shivakumar gave them Congress flags and welcomed them to the party.

After pulling in BJP and JD-S leaders from Yeshwantpur and R R Nagar constituencies in Bengaluru, this is the third major operation carried out by the Congress.

Srinivas, after joining the Congress, said that he worked for the BJP for 33 years.

"BJP and JD-S leaders from Padmanabhanagar constituency who worked as a big force behind capturing power in Bengaluru city corporation are now with Congress. The BJP leaders have not treated them well and now they are knocking our doors," Shivakumar said.

He has openly stated that they would take steps to strengthen the party. He is working towards achieving victory in the forthcoming Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections and Lok Sabha elections.

Sources state that Shivakumar had assured the high command of winning more than 20 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. He is talking to more than 20 MLAs from BJP and JD (S) and trying to pull them into the Congress.

Defending the move, Shivakumar had questioned whether the BJP was right in toppling elected governments in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, and Madhya Pradesh.