After cutting off his five decade old association with the century old Congress party, senior leader and former External Affairs Minister Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna is all set to join BJP on Wednesday at Delhi. Krishna’s close confidants and the BJP leaders in Bengaluru have confirmed that Krishna would be joining the BJP on Wednesday evening in the presence of National President Amit Shah.
According to the BJP leader and the man who is coordinating Krishna’s entry into BJP R Ashok said the senior leader Krishna would join the party in the presence of national president Amit Shah at the party’s national headquarters at 5 pm on Wednesday.
According to BJP’s calculation the 84 year old veteran leader Krishna would help BJP in consolidation of Vokkaliga (a dominant community in Karnataka) votes in old Mysuru area and also in Bengaluru and some urban pockets. Krishna, a leader who has been accepted by many as a gentleman politician, had quit the Congress on January 28 expressing dissatisfaction with being ignored by the party high command.
According to the BJP sources he was in Delhi last week to join the party and held talks with Amit Shah but had to postpone his entry into saffron party as he had a family bereavement. He had to come back to Bengaluru as his sister passed away.
Krishna, who was the Karnataka Chief Minister from 1999 to 2004, had returned to state politics after stepping down as then External Affairs Minister in 2012. He has also served as the Governor of Maharashtra.
As Karnataka is facing two by polls in Nanjanagudu and Gundalpete on April 9, the state unit of the BJP is keen on Krishna’s entry into their fold at the earliest to garner vokkaliga votes there. The by polls in Karnataka after UP’s grand and historic victory is crucial for the state unit to snatch them from the congress. A powerful dalit leader V Srinivas Prasad who rebelled against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is contesting from BJP ticket from Nanjangudu. The by polls are crucial for the ruling Congress to keep its hold at least in Karnataka.