Karnataka: Former Deputy CM Laxman Savadi Decides To Quit BJP After He Was Denied A Ticket

Laxman Savadi, the former deputy chief minister of Karnataka, declared his resignation from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a press conference.

“I have decided to resign from the primary membership of the party,” he said.

The decision comes after Savadi was denied a ticket to contest in the upcoming state assembly elections.

He said he will take a "strong decision" on Thursday evening (13 April) and will commence his work the next day.

Despite leaving the BJP, it remains unclear whether Savadi will join another party or contest the upcoming election as an independent candidate.

Savadi, a three-time Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Athani district, lost to the former Congress contender Mahesh Kumathalli in the 2018 election.

Later, Kumathalli, along with other Congress members, joined the BJP, which resulted in the downfall of the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition. Eventually, the BJP formed its government headed by B S Yediyurappa in 2019.

Athani's BJP ticket has now been given to Kumathalli, an associate of BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who is a rival of Savadi.

The BJP has revealed its first list of candidates for Karnataka's 10 May polls. The list of 189 has 52 new names, but some major players were omitted, causing disappointment among their followers.