Shettar is the second prominent Lingayat face to quit the BJP in recent days after former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi, who was also denied a ticket, joined the Congress.

Former Karnataka chief minister and veteran BJP leader Jagadish Shettar, who resigned as MLA on Sunday after he was denied a ticket for the Assembly polls, was inducted into the Congress by All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge Monday morning.

A key Lingayat leader and long-time member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Shettar said he was unhappy about the manner in which he was treated by the BJP leadership when he was denied the ticket from Hubli-Dharwad Central constituency. The six-time legislator is the second prominent Lingayat face to quit the BJP in recent days after former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi, who was also denied a ticket, joined the Congress.

Kharge said Shettar’s induction has assured the Congress of winning 150 seats in the polls. “This means that the BJP cannot form its government by breaking our camp. Therefore, our target is to win the maximum number of seats (in the May 10 polls),” he said.

Addressing a news conference on Monday, Shettar said he “was among those who organised and grew the party, especially in north Karnataka region. The BJP has given me all respect and position. In exchange, I was a loyal worker who fulfilled his responsibilities in an honest manner”.

However, he was unhappy that the “party did not treat a senior leader well. On April 11, I was informed that there is no ticket for me and (former minister) K S Eshwarappa as if they were telling a small boy or a first-time MLA. If they had told me a week in advance and asked me to fulfill other responsibilities, I would have agreed,” he said.

Shettar alleged that the party was being controlled by some individuals and he was being forced out of a house he helped build. “When I am forced out of a house I helped build, there is no alternative left for me… We built the BJP saying that the party is important and not individuals. Today, the party is run in such a manner that only a few individuals are controlling the entire party. I am not criticising PM Narendra Modi, Union Minister Amit Shah or party national president J P Nadda. They might not be aware of the developments in the state unit,” he said.

The induction is expected to benefit the Congress in several constituencies surrounding Hubli-Dharwad Central, which was represented by him.