JD(S) leader Kalale Keshavamurthy to join Congress, contest Nanjangud bypoll

Mysuru: Janata Dal (Secular) leader, Kalale Keshavamurthy, who is likely to be fielded by the Congress in the Nanjangud byelections against veteran leader Srinivas Prasad, announced he was joining the party at the invitation of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, here on Tuesday.

Going by sources in the Congress while Mr Keshavamurthy met Mr Siddaramaiah three days ago, a final decision was taken to field him as the party’s candidate in the Nanjangud byelections on Monday night.

Mr Keshavamurthy is expected to join the Congress officially at the party’s office in Bengaluru in a few days.

He had lost to Mr Srinivasprasad in the last assembly elections by a narrow margin of 8000 votes.

Claiming that JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda had no objection to his joining another party owing to the party’s declining support in Nanjangud, he said he had taken “permission” of JD(S) state chief H D Kumaraswamy before making his move.

But veteran Congress leader, A H Vishwanath seemed far from happy at the Congress’s decision to field a candidate from another party in the byelection.

“There are good candidates in the Congress too. It is wrong to bring in candidates from outside. The Congress will win in Nanjangud no matter who its candidate is because Siddaramaiah has come up with good pro-people programmes,” he said.

Veteran leader, V Srinivas Prasad, who quit the Congress in a huff to join the BJP recently, was dismissive of Mr Keshavamurthy joining the Congress, saying it made no difference to him.