After losing the Hubli-Dharwad Central seat to Mahesh Tenginakai of the Bharatiya Janata Party by around 32,000 votes, Jagadish Shettar claimed "money power" was a factor behind his defeat. Shettar, a Lingayat leader, left the Bharatiya Janata Party in April after being refused a ticket to run in the Karnataka Assembly elections.
Speaking to the media after election results were declared on Saturday, Jagadish Shettar said, "Money power has played a very important role."
He also added that the "money factor" could change a lot in present times and mentioned a trend "which began last time" wherein Rs 500-1000 were "distributed" among voters by the BJP. Also, dubbing his dissociation with the saffron party as a step towards the recognition and welfare of the Lingayat community, he stated that the BJP did not do enough for them.
The defeat of the BJP defector came on the same day that the resurgent Congress won a record-breaking election in Karnataka, giving the party the much-needed morale boost needed for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
After being rejected for a poll ticket on May 10, Shettar announced his resignation from the BJP last month. The 67-year-old joined the Congress the following day in Bengaluru in the presence of the party's president Mallikarjun Kharge, the party's Karnataka president DK Shivakumar and Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala and Siddaramaiah.
At the time of leaving BJP, Shettar said that he felt "humiliated" by the treatment meted out to him by higher-ups in the party.
Previously, Shettar was the leader of the opposition when the Congress was in power in Karnataka.