Karnataka Congress looks at inducting opposition leaders to shore up 2024 Lok Sabha prospects

Amid reports that Congress is looking at inducting leaders from other parties, its state president Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said several political workers are willing to join the party, and a decision will be taken keeping in mind party interest, aimed at increasing its vote share in the Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress won just a single Lok Sabha seat out of 28 in Karnataka in the previous elections. This time, party leaders said, the target is to win 20 seats.

Shivakumar said the local leadership of the Congress has been given the go-ahead to have any kind of understanding locally that would benefit the party, depending on the situation there.

'Parliament election is first (priority) for the Congress party. We have told our party workers not to panic or have any grudge come in the way of arriving at any understanding locally. We have asked them to increase the vote share. We have left it to our local leaders to decide depending on the local situation,' Shivakumar said in response to a question.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, 'In certain situations, the party may not have a presence (in some places). In such a situation, we will have to ensure the party is strong there. Leave big leaders, many workers of other parties have come forward to join us. In such a situation, we will do whatever is in the interest of the party.' There have been reports in a section of the media that a few leaders and sitting MLAs from the opposition -- especially the BJP, who had earlier quit the Congress, leading to the collapse of the then Congress-JD(S) coalition government -- will be rejoining the party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress-JD(S) wobbly government of 2018 had collapsed when 17 legislators resigned and came out of the ruling coalition. They defected to the BJP and facilitated its return to power.

In the bypolls held subsequently in 2019, the BJP won 12 out of 15 seats, as most of these defectors re-contested and emerged victorious. Most of them were made ministers in the BJP government.

Congress Member of Parliament from Bengaluru Rural D K Suresh said that anyone who wants to join the party is welcome.

Stating that he is not aware as to whether anyone from other parties is willing to join Congress, he, in response to a question, said, 'Ultimately the party will decide whether to induct some or not.' State Home Minister G Parameshwara said that if someone from the BJP is upset about the way they are being treated there and wants to join Congress, it will be discussed within the party and decided.

'If they have trust in Congress, its ideology and leadership, and want to work for the party, there is nothing wrong. Many who had gone to other parties, after realisation, have come back, and they have been taken in,' he added.

However, BJP MLA Munirathna, who was one among those who had defected from Congress in 2019, said he will not leave the saffron party.

'Among the 17, who will go (to Congress) I don't know. I will at least not quit the BJP and go. I will function for five years with the BJP in opposition. I'm ready to retire from politics, but won't quit BJP,' he said.