Mangalore: Shakuntala Shetty embraces Congress

 

Mangalore, 25 Feb 2013: If it can be called a big catch or a pre-poll gain, former Puttur MLA Shakuntala Shetty on Monday formally joined the Congress in Bangalore.

 

The development comes after she held talks with the Congress High command in the backdrop of looming Assembly polls in Karnataka.

 

Shakuntala, who had contested from the BJP and had won from the constituency once, had rebelled against the saffron party when it denied her ticket to contest for the second time.

 

She had then contested from the Swabhimani Vedike as a rebel candidate against the party’s official candidate Mallika Prasad Bhandari, but had tasted defeat.

 

After defeat, she had even met JD(S) State chief Kumaraswamy, thereby triggering speculations that she might join the JD(S). As if to substantiate this, Kumaraswamy had also gifted sarees to the participants of a Varamahalakshmi Pooja organized in Puttur.

 

After the formation of Karnataka Janata Party, Ms Shetty had even said that former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa had invited her to join the new regional party.

 

However, drawing curtains on all assumptions, Ms Shetty has entered the Congress party, which is trying to regain hold over Puttur which it had lost after Sorake’s defeat.

 

It is believed that the Congress has assured a ticket or a good posting for Ms Shetty with the hope that thousands of her fans in Puttur would follow her footsteps.