Karnataka Assembly elections 2018: Basanagouda Patil Yatnal to formally join BJP

Former union minister Basanagouda Patil Yatnal is all set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday. His rejoining to the BJP is viewed as a boost to the saffron party in North Karnataka region. Currently, Yatnal is an independent member of the legislative council.

In February, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal was invited by BJP national president, Amit Shah to meet him in Delhi for talks, ahead of the assembly polls in the state.

Yatnal was former Minister of State, Textiles Vijayapura in Atal Bihari Vajpayee government from 1 July 2002 to 8 September 2003. He was also a Minister of State, Railways from 8 September 2003 to 16 May 2004. He represented the Bijapur constituency of Karnataka in 13th Lok Sabha and 14th Lok Sabha of India and was a member of BJP political party.

He was suspended from the BJP because of his vocal criticism of the party in the past and joined the JDS. But his friendship with that party did not last long either and he opted to contest the MLC elections as an independent.

He was in Janata Dal (Secular) for three years and has quit the party as State general secretary in 2013 ahead of general election. Speculation was rife that he would join the BJP sooner or later.