Many leaders in touch with me: Karnataka CM hints at defections from BJP, JD(S)

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday claimed that several BJP and JD(S) leaders were in talks with the Congress about joining the party, days after former BJP MLA NL Narendra Babu quit the party and returned to the Congress.

Shivakumar made the remarks as Narendra Babu and several of his supporters were inducted into the Congress at the KPCC office in Bengaluru.

“Several leaders are in touch with me and our party leadership. We will accommodate them and work together,” Shivakumar said.

He said district ministers and party office-bearers had been asked to identify leaders who believed in the Congress’s ideology and leadership.

Narendra Babu, a former MLA from Rajajinagar and Mahalakshmi Layout, had spent nearly a decade in the BJP. He resigned from the party, alleging that senior leaders had denied him recognition despite his work for the organisation.

Shivakumar said young people were looking for hope and claimed that there was no alternative to the Congress to “save the country”.

“The BJP has been given an opportunity for the last 13 years. I think enough is enough,” he said.SHIVAKUMAR MOCKS KUMARASWAMY

At the same event, Shivakumar targeted Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, alleging that the JD(S) leader was trying to weaken Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra and Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka to strengthen his own position ahead of the 2028 Assembly election.

“Whatever the story of Ashoka and Vijayendra, Kumaraswamy is looking at whether he can bring both of them down and get something for himself,” Shivakumar said.

He claimed that this was why Kumaraswamy was issuing statements and repeatedly threatening to “drop a bomb”.

Responding to Kumaraswamy’s warnings of creating “allol kallol”, or disruption, Shivakumar said: “He keeps talking about creating chaos. Do I need to explain what that chaos is? We see it on television every day.”

The exchange is the latest in a series of confrontations between Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy, who have traded allegations over the Bidadi township project and the acquisition of land from farmers.- EndsPublished By: Aprameya RaoPublished On: Sep 14, 2026 17:25 IST