Former Karnataka minister joins BJP hours after quitting Congress

Former Karnataka Minister Pramod Madhwaraj resigned from Congress and joined the BJP hours after. He tweeted his resignation letter saying he decided not to accept the post of vice-president of KPCC and resign from the primary membership of the Congress party.

He wrote that the situation in the Udupi Congress party for the last three years has been a bad experience for him. It has led to political suffocation. "I have observed that no worthwhile steps have been taken by the party to redress my grievances regarding the prevailing situation," said the former MLA.

He noted that in the year 2018, he was ranked as the best performing MLA in Karnataka in a survey conducted by Times of India, Deccan Herald, and Prajavani. Madhwaraj stated that the facts brought to the attention of party leadership were not addressed properly and no steps were taken to deal with them. Citing his disappointment, he decided to give up party membership.

He addressed the letter to KPCC President DK Shivakumar and said he has reached a point where it is impossible to continue in Congress. Madhwaraj was the minister of fisheries, youth empowerment, and sports in the Siddaramaiah-led government.

Hours after the resignation, Madhwaraj and other four prominent leaders joined BJP.

Former minister and two-term independent MLA Varthur R Prakash, former MLA from Malur Kodihalli Manjunath Gowda, former Rajya Sabha member KB Krishnamurthy, former JD(S) MLC Sandesh Nagaraj, former IRS officer Lakshmi Ashwin Gowdaare and Ashok Jayaram joined BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Basavarak Bommai.