Karnataka Assembly election: Denied ticket by BJP, ex-deputy CM Laxman Savadi wins with Congress ticket

BJP turncoat Laxman Savadi, who joined Congress after being denied a ticket for the assembly polls, has won from the VIP seat of Athani against BJP's Mahesh Kumathalli.Savadi was aspiring to contest from the Athani Assembly constituency, but the BJP chose to field sitting MLA Mahesh Kumathalli instead. The development sparked a huge political controversy in Karnataka. Speaking of the “humiliation" Laxman Savadi has faced at the BJP, Shivakumar said, “There is no condition. He feels that he has been humiliated. It is our duty to take such great leaders into the Congress Party. There are more than 9-10 sitting MLAs who want to join us but we don't have space to accommodate them."

Laxman Savadi is a three-time MLA from Athani but lost in the 2018 elections to Kumathalli (then in the Congress). Kumathalli was among the group of defectors who helped the BJP to bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition and form its government under the leadership of B S Yediyurappa in 2019.A tall figure in the Karnataka BJP, Savadi served as the eighth deputy chief minister of the state and minister of transport from 2019 to 2021, under then chief minister BS Yediyurappa. Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said Savadi’s decision was sad news. “Savadi has seen a future in Congress which is why he has decided to join the party. Congress does not have candidates to contest from 60 constituencies and that is why they are taking candidates from other parties,” Bommai said. The ruling BJP failed  to break a 38-year jinx - the southern state has not voted an incumbent government back to power since 1985.The Congress  took their revenge after rebel MLAs destablised the government it formed with the JDS after the 2018 election. The JDS is not expected to make major gains compared to last year with most exit polls handing them around 30 seats only but they could play a key role.On the other hand, the Congress is seeking a much-needed revival ahead of key electoral contests lined up later this year and the ultimate Lok Sabha battle in 2024.