High drama over denial of ticket ends with Jadagish Shettar announcing his resignation from BJP

The daylong high drama over the denial of the BJP ticket to the former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar to contest the Assembly election ended late on Saturday night with the leader announcing his decision to resign from the party’s primary membership and MLA’s position.

The daylong high drama over the denial of the BJP ticket to the former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar ended late on Saturday night with the leader announcing his decision to resign from the party’s primary membership and MLA’s position.

Last-minute efforts by the party’s Karnataka election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi failed to pacify Mr. Shettar. They left without speaking a word to presspersons who had been waiting for the outcome of the meeting.

This means the end of Mr. Shettar’s more than three-decade-long association with the BJP. He said he would submit his resignation to Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri at Sirsi on Sunday morning.

A visually pained Mr. Shettar said he failed to understand why was he being denied the party ticket. “All those who came to pacify me had no answers for my question on the denial of the ticket. Mr. Pradhan said they were willing to give the ticket to any of my family members and offer me a high position if I opted out. It is deeply painful to hear after having served the party for decades,” he said.

Declining to take anyone’s name, he said those who were afraid of his possible claim for the Chief Minister’s post in future were behind his ill-treatment, Mr. Shettar said.

“Pained by the ill-treatment, I had decided to contest the election at any cost and will consult my followers on whether to contest independently or align with any party,” he announced.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Shettar postponed his decision twice — first, after Mr. Joshi met him as an emissary of the high command and again in the evening after he received information on Mr. Pradhan’s intention to have a word with him.