Zee Media Bureau/Deepak Nagpal
Bangalore: Karnataka leader BS?Sriramulu is all set to rejoin the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, a day after the BJP provisionally allotted him a Lok Sabha ticket from Bellary.
Sriramulu, a former minister, was a close aide of jailed mining baron Janardhan Reddy. He had quit the BJP and formed his own BSR Congress following differences with the party leadership.
However, he is now returning to the BJP fold and will contest from Bellary – the constituency is currently held by his sister Shantha (BJP).
To facilitate his re-entry into the BJP, Sriramulu is quitting the BSR?Congress and is also resigning as MLA from the Bellary Rural seat.
The BJP has not yet approved the merger with BSR Congress after top leaders, including Sushma Swaraj, openly expressed apprehensions against it.
But Sriramulu hopes the merger, too, will happen soon.
He will today rejoin the BJP in the presence of the top state party brass, including president Pralhad Joshi and senior leaders BS?Yeddyurappa, Jagadish Shettar, DV?Sadananda Gowda and HN?Ananth Kumar.