Senior Congress leader from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region and former Karnataka Minister A B Malaka Reddy is expected to join the BJP by quitting Congress.
Opposition Leader in the Legislative Assembly B S Yeddyurappa, who is also BJP State President, told newsmen here on Thursday that Malaka Reddy, who represents Yadagir in Hyderabad-Karnataka area, met him and expressed his desire to join the party.
The decision of Malaka Reddy to cross over to BJP is significant as Yeddyurappa had faced a huge humiliation when he tried to lure the JD(S) MLA Naganagouda Kandakur, and the alleged conversation which took place between Yeddyurappa and Kandakur’s son was recorded and released to the media by the Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy
recently.
Congress leader Malaka Reddy got defeated by the JD(S) candidate Naganagouda Kandakur in the 2018 Assembly elections.
Replying to a question, Yeddyurappa denied media reports that the release of list of BJP candidates for the Lok Sabha elections was delayed due to serious differences
within the party, he said that “It is not correct. The Central leadership will release the list this afternoon and there is no discontent among the party leaders on the issue”.
According to party sources, the BJP will field its candidates for all the 28 Lok Sabha seats, including at Mandya, where the film star turned politician Sumalatha is contesting as independent candidate against JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.
Agencies
