KARNATAKA: The BJP suffered a major setback prior to the Karnataka Assembly election as a veteran party leader joined hands with the Congress party. Former Chief Minister of Karnataka Jagdish Shettar left the party yesterday. Shettar has joined the BJP's main opposition, the Congress party, after resigning from his position as an MLA and his membership in the party.

On Sunday, Shettar met Congress's top brass. He took a chartered helicopter from Hubballi to Bangalore where he met with veteran Congressmen.

Shettar was met in Bangalore by the head of the Karnataka State Congress, Randeep Singh Surjewala, the leader of the opposition in the Karnataka state assembly, Siddaramaiah, and the head of the Karnataka Congress, DK Shivakumar.

"A New Chapter, A New History, A new Beginning.... Former BJP CM, Former BJP President, Former Leader of Opoosition, Six times MLA, Sh. Jagadish Shettar joins the Congress family today," Randeep Singh Surjewala wrote in a letter to Shettar welcoming him to the party.

Karnataka assembly elections 2017: Former CM Shettar

Congress fielding Sunil Kanugolu in the MP assembly elections