MANGALURU: In a setback to BJP in Belthangady constituency, its young leader and the party’s taluk committee president Ranjan G Gowda will join Congress on Monday.Ranjan, son of former minister K Gangadhar Gowda, was the BJP candidate from Belthangady assembly constituency in the 2013 assembly elections. Following his defeat, BJP had refused to give him the ticket in the last assembly election. Instead, it was given to Harish Poonja, who became the MLA. Disgruntled by this, Ranjan stayed away from campaigning for the party.Miffed with BJP denying his son Ranjan the ticket, Gangadhar had in 2018 returned to his parent party, Congress, in the presence of minister D K Shivakumar. Ranjan is now following in his father’s footstep.The duo’s entry to Congress is seen as a morale booster fort the party workers, especially after the last assembly election, wherein the party’s candidate K Vasanth Bangera had lost to Poonja. Anti-incumbency in BJPAccording to BJP workers, there is anti-incumbency. MLA Poonja, whom they expected would help them in difficult times, has allegedly failed to respond.A BJP supporter said that the party has split into two with some young BJP supporters joining Hindu Jagarana Vedike founder president Mahesh Shetty Timarody. Mahesh, upset over the ticket being given to Poonja, had indirectly extended support to Bangera of Congress.

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