Karnataka: Congress leader part of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, joins BJP

Mysuru: In a surprising political development, Dr Shushrutha Gowda, who recently walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir alongside Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, announced his departure from the Congress party.

He officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), just 48 hours before the commencement of the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka.

Dr Shushrutha, a Mysuru-based leader who was appointed as the KPCC general secretary not long ago, was warmly welcomed into the BJP fold by the party's election in-charge, Radha Mohan Das Agarwal. His induction ceremony took place at the BJP office in Bengaluru, where former deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan was also present here on Wednesday.

With Dr Shushrutha's entry, the BJP gained another member from the Vokkaliga community.

Dr Shushrutha cited his admiration for the "vision and mission" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the BJP's national president JP Nadda as he joined the saffron brigade.

"My goal is to serve people, and I felt BJP is the best party to realize my dream," he commented. He praised the BJP for having the "right people, right platform," and for providing opportunities to those genuinely committed to societal causes.

In a critical assessment of his former party, Dr Shushrutha accused the Congress of dividing society on caste lines through dirty tricks.

Responding to this significant shift, KPCC spokesperson HA Venkatesh played down the impact of the exit. Venkatesh stated, "Shushrutha's exit won't impact Congress in Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency since he was not active in party organisation."

This move by Dr Shushrutha is expected to have political repercussions, particularly in the Mysuru region, as his shift to the BJP could influence the Vokkaliga community's support in the upcoming elections.