Two key leaders quit Karnataka Congress in a span of two days, 'no big deal,' says the party

K P Nanjundi, a strong leader of the Vishwakarma community and former MP H Vishwanath have bid adieu to the Congress

As elections draw closer the Karnataka Congress is losing more leaders. In a span of two days, veteran party leader H Vishwanath and a prominent Vishwakarma community leader K P Nanjundi have quit the Congress.

While K P Nanjundi chose to join the BJP after B S Yeddyurappa visited his residence to extend an invitation, Vishwanath is expected to join the JD(S). While H Vishwanath is the member of All India Congress Committee, K P Nanjundi is a General Secretary of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. While Vishwanath's exit may not be a cause of concern to the party, especially in the Mysuru region, K P Nanjundi's exit means the wrath of the Vishwakarma community.

"He is a businessman and has been a Congress member. Yes, he has the backing of a community and his exit means we will lose support in considerable numbers from voters of that community but you can't keep everyone happy at all times. We will now look at it as one contender less for tickets," a Karnataka Congress leader said.

K P Nanjundi quit the Congress after being denied an MLC seat on multiple occasions. Last time around, he was shortlisted to be nominated under the social work quota but lost out at the last minute. While announcing his decision to join the BJP K P Nanjundi said that he was not looking at any posts. However, sources from the BJP believe that he would be given a prominent post in the state unit. "Yeddyurappa drove home a point when he visited Nanjundi's residence and extended an invitation for him to join the BJP. Since he was an office bearer in the Congress he is likely to be given a prominent post in the state BJP, probably the post of Vice President," said a source in the BJP. Nanjundi has the support of over a dozen Vishwakarma seers and their followers which makes up a significant vote bank.

Vishwanath who has been at loggerheads with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had been threatening to quit for many weeks now. Credited to be the man who brought Siddaramaiah to the Congress, Vishwanath had been expressing disappointment at the way he was being treated in the party. After S M Krishna and Srinivas Prasad, Vishwanath becomes the third Congress leader for the Cauvery region to express disappointment with the Congress and quit the party.

The Mysuru-Mandya region is Congress' bastion. The real battle in the region is between the Congress and the JD(S) while the BJP comes a distant third, With three leaders from the region now exiting the Congress, the party's popularity is likely to take a hit but its vote share is unlikely to suffer anywhere in the region expect Srinivas Prasad's turf.

OneIndia News