Savadi says he will quit MLC post, party; to hold meeting with supporters tomorrow

CHIKKODI: A day after the BJP announced Mahesh Kumathalli as its candidate from the Athani Assembly segment, former deputy CM and Legislative Council member Laxman Savadi, who was an aspirant for the ticket, has announced that he will visit Bengaluru on Friday and tender his resignation to the post of state vice-president and MLC. He also said that he will hold a meeting with his supporters on Thursday and decide on the future course of action.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, he said, “I firmly believed that the party would not want to lose dedicated workers, but it seems to be taking its principles and ideology in a different direction. Loyalists are being sidelined and maybe this is some far-sighted strategy”. Stating that everyone, right from the Prime Minister to the party worker, had treated him well, he thanked the party leadership for all the support over the last 20 years.

“There is a lot of difference between the BJP then and what it is now. On Thursday evening, I will consult my supporters and seniors at the Murughendra Mutt. The voters of the constituency are my high command and if they tell me to jump into a dried-up well, I will do that. I considered the party as my mother, but never expected the mother to feed me poison”, he said.

Stating that he has high regard for former CM B S Yediyurappa, Savadi said he shares good relations with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai too. However, reacting to the CM’s remark that he had not invited Savadi to join the BJP, he said the CM should introspect. Taking a dig, he said, “May God give him the strength to become the PM and nothing can stop him from becoming the PM”.

Kagwad Congress candidate Raju Kage met Laxman Savadi at the latter’s residence in Athani on Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, Congress candidate from Kagwad, Raju, Kage, called on Laxman Savadi at his residence in Athani early on Wednesday morning. Both are known to be friends for about 30 years and it is being speculated that Kage may be luring Savadi to join the Congress