Karnataka: Congress MLA Umesh Jadhav resigns, likely to join BJP

Bengaluru: The Congres MLA Umesh Jadhav submitted his resignation to Karnataka Assembly speaker KR Ramesh Kumar on Monday. He was one of the four Congress rebel MLAs in Karnataka.

The reason for Jadhav’s resignation is not yet clear but according to sources, he is expected to BJP soon and could contest against Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

“Dr Umesh Jadhav’s resignation was a forgone conclusion because he had already sold himself to BJP. He is leaving the Congress party for his selfish motives. He can be called a betrayer,” said Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, Dinesh Gundu Rao.

Umesh Jadhav was among the four MLAs who had skipped two Congress Legislature Party meetings. Congress had complained to Speaker to take action against four under anti-defection laws.

The resignation came amid an ongoing political war between the coalition partners JD-S and Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over alleged poaching of Congress legislators by the BJP.