Bangaluru, December 24: Belagavi strongman and senior Congress leader Ramesh L Jarkiholi have threatened that he would quit the party and would join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday. The lawmaker has made this statement after being dropped from the JDU-Congress-led government in Karnataka on Sunday.

Denied a cabinet berth by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, the Belagavi MLA said to a television channel that he may quit as a lawmaker ‘anytime now’ and asked whether other leaders would follow suit, Jarkiholi said, “I won’t disclose the number now. Wait for a week.” The leader added that he had been planning to quit the party for the last three months. Karnataka Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi Skips Five Cabinet Meetings in Row, Says 'Will Not Attend Till God Answers My Prayers'.

According to internal sources, other than Jarkiholi, three to four lawmakers might follow suit as they seem unhappy with the working style of the state government. Among the leaders likely to walk on Jarkiholi’s path include – Athani MLA Mahesh Kamatalli, Karawad MLA Srimanth Patil and another lawmaker Vivekrao Patil.

With dissent in the cabinet and the party, KPCC president Dinesh Gundurao advised the MLAs to keep their cool. Speaking in Belagavi, Gundurao stated, as reported by Times of India, “Sometimes, the most deserving don’t get what they deserve. I too, may have been made to resign from the cabinet in the past. I hope everybody will understand.”

Former CM Siddhramaiah expressed confidence that Jarkiholi would not quit and stated that the party is keen to sort out the differences between the leaders. Earlier Jarkiholi was dropped from the Cabinet, in a reshuffle of the state government. Along with him, R Shankar has also been dropped.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 24, 2018 10:06 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).