Shettar holds talks with Cong leaders, may join party on Monday

Former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar is in talks with senior Congress leaders after resigning from the Karnataka Assembly over his candidature not being reconsidered by the BJP for the May 10 election, Congress sources said.

The sources told PTI that Shettar flew from Hubballi to Bengaluru on Sunday in a special helicopter and held discussions with Congress general secretary (Karnataka in-charge) Randeep Singh Surjewala, Congress state chief D K Shivakumar, former minister M B Patil and veteran Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa.

Shettar may join Congress on Monday, the sources added.

The six-time Hubballi-Dharwad Central MLA resigned from the Assembly on Sunday after his talks with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and two Union ministers Pralhad Joshi and Dharmendra Pradhan the previous night failed.

Shettar alleged that he has been humiliated by denying him a BJP ticket and added that there was a systematic conspiracy against him in the ruling party.