KARNATAKA: (April 17) The former MLA from Pulakeshinagar constituency quit Congress in 2023 after he was denied the ticket to contest the Assembly election and he then contested the poll on the BSP ticket. But he lost to the Congress candidate by a huge margin. 

Former Congress MLA  Akhanda Srinivas Murthy joined the BJP here on Wednesday in the presence of former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. The former MLA from Pulakeshinagar constituency quit the Congress in 2023 after he was denied the ticket to contest the Assembly election and then contested the poll on the BSP ticket. But he lost to the Congress candidate by a huge margin.

Upon joining the BJP, Murthy lashed out at the Congress, alleging that he was badly treated by the party. "Those who lit the fire at my house are roaming around Congress state President DK Shivakumar. Good that the way they treated me made me join the BJP today. It's good to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi and bring back the BJP government in Karnataka again," Murthy said.

He was at loggerheads with the Congress leadership since miscreants attacked his house following the episode of his nephew posting allegedly derogatory content on social media in 2022 against Prophet Mohammed. Former Bengaluru Mayor and Congress leader Sampath Raj was arrested in the case. Yediyurappa said that Murthy's joining will give more strength to the BJP and help its Bengaluru North Lok Sabha constituency candidate Shobha Karandlaje win the constituency with more than 3 lakh votes.

"Akhanda Srinivas Murthy's joining in BJP gives us more power and moral strength, Shobha Karandlaje will win with more than 3 lakh votes for sure," he said. Yediyurappa said that when Murthy's house was attacked, Congress did not stand with him, but the BJP stood with him.

It is expected that Murthy's joining will give a boost to the BJP in the Pulakeshinagar assembly constituency, which comes under the Bangalore North parliamentary constituency. There are many Dalit voters in Pulakeshinagar, and being one of the tallest young Dalit leaders in Karnataka, Murthy can potentially woo them in the BJP's favour.