BJP MP's son and independent MLA Sharath Bachegowda to join Congress in Feb

Independent MLA and BJPMP B N Bache Gowda's son Sharath Bachegowda on Thursday saidhe would join the Congress party sometime in February.

Amid speculation that he is joining the party onFebruary 26, Sharath told PTI, ''There is no date fixed as suchbut sometime in February I will join the legislative party ofthe Congress.'' Sharath's entry to the Congress had been on the cardsfor quite some time but it is now that he has confirmed hisnext political move.

Sharath had rebelled against his party BJP andsuccessfully contested the Hoskote assembly byelection inDecember 2019 defeating BJP's M T B Nagaraj.

Nagaraj, a BJP MLC and minister, was among the rebelCongress MLAs who had resigned from the assembly in 2019bringing down the Congress-JDS coalition government. He joinedthe BJP later but was defeated in the bypolls.

There were accusations that Bache Gowda helped his sonindirectly to win the election but he refuted the charges.

Sharath said he has not informed his father formallyabout his decision to join Congress.

''Since everything is in the public domain, I did notinform him yet.He must be aware of it,'' he added.

To a question whether Bache Gowda approved hisdecision, Sharath said he had to think of his politicalcareer.

According to BJP sources, Sharath had tried to makean entry into the BJP but Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa andthe state BJP leadership did not approve it as they wereextremely upset with him for rebelling against the party anddefeating their candidate.

The Congress' strength will go up to 68 from theexisting 67 in the Karnataka Assembly when Sharath joins theparty.PTI GMS BNBN BN