Karnataka polls: Former deputy CM Laxman Savadi joins Congress

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Dealing a major blow to the ruling BJP ahead of the May 10 Karnakata elections, former deputy CM Laxman Savadi has decided to join the Congress, informed the party's state president DK Shivakumar on Friday.

Savadi met the Congress's state president Shivakumar and the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah at the latter's residence in Bengaluru on Friday.

Shivakumar said a press conference will be held later today where Savadi will make his political switch official.

Savadi, on April 12, resigned as a Legislative Council member and from the primary membership of the BJP after missing out on a ticket to seek a fresh mandate from his Assembly constituency, Athani.

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Meanwhile, former MLC and Congress leader Raghu Achar joined former ally JD(S) on Friday in the presence of party chief HD Deve Gowda and former CM HD Kumaraswamy.

Earlier, on Tuesday, the incumbent BJP announced its first list of 189 candidates. The list featured 52 fresh faces and 8 women.

In the 2018 polls, the BJP emerged as the largest single party, winning 104 seats, with the Congress and then ally JD(S) bagging 80 and 37 seats respectively.

The term of the current Karnataka Legislative Assembly will end on May 24. The counting of votes for the 224-seat Assembly will be held on May 13.

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