Bangarappa resigns from SP to join Congress

New Delhi, Feb 12 (ANI): Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party MP S. Bangarappa on Thursday resigned from the Lok Sabha and the party as well.

He announced plans to join the Congress.

"I have resigned from my Lok Sabha seat Shimoga as well as from the Samajwadi Party. I submitted my resignation to the Speaker and he has accepted it," Bangarappa said.

Addressing the media, Bangarappa said, "Bharatiya Janata Party's win in Karnataka was not a good sign and it's high time for all secular parties to unite together to defeat the communal parties."

The former Chief Minister refused to accept the view that his resignation had anything to do with the recent friendship between the SP chief Mulayam Singh and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh.

Bangarappa had recently expressed a wish to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Shimoga on a Congress ticket.

An active member of the Lok Sabha, He was the Chief Minister of Karnataka during 1990-92.

Bangarappa, a backward class leader and regular party hopper, was elected on a BJP ticket from Shimoga in the 2004 General elections.

He quit the BJP and his Lok Sabha membership in 2005 and successfully contested the 2005 by-election on a Samajwadi Party ticket.

He was defeated in the 2008 assembly elections from Shikaripura against current Chief Minister of Karnataka B. S. Yeddyurappa.

He has already quit the Congress thrice. (ANI)