New Delhi: Putting all speculations to an end, former Karnataka Chief Minister and ex-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran Jagadish Shettar joined Congress on Monday morning ahead of the Karnataka Assembly Polls 2023.

Jagadish Shettar vowed his alligience to Congress in presence of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, General Secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala (Karnataka in-charge), KPCC president D K Shivakumar and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, among others.

Sharing a post on Twitter, the grand-old party said, “Shettar ji has resigned from the BJP and joined us in the fight to save the nation from the dictatorial government.”

We extend a heartfelt welcome to Shri Jagadish Shettar as he joins the Congress family.

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Shettar ji has resigned from the BJP and joined us in the fight to save the nation from the dictatorial government. pic.twitter.com/i895YcRJy5

— Congress (@INCIndia) April 17, 2023

Shettar was a loyalist of BJP for over decades of alligience. He left the saffron party on Sunday evening “with a heavy heart” after the saffron party denied him a ticket from Hublii-Dharwad Central Vidhan Sabha seat.

However, the ruling party tried its luck to retain the 67-year-old leader even after the latter issued an ultimatum to the High command to re-think its decision and allot him the preferred constituency.

The BJP top leadership who had adviced Shettar to drop his name off the list to give chance to fresh candidates, offered impressive opportunities like a post of a Governor or an entrance to Rajya Sabha. Shettar persisted and denied.

This led Shettar to resign as a sitting MLA. On Sunday morning, he reached Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka to tender his resignation to Speaker Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri.

Amid the whole-day political turmoil on Sunday, Shettar kept saying that he had not decided which party to join while many pointed his possible entry to Congress.

Also Read: Did Jagadish Shettar raise BJP or the party made him?