The former Director-General and Inspector-General of Police Shankar Bidari, till recently with the Congress, will now head the State unit of the Samajwadi Party.
An official announcement will be made on Tuesday, said party MLA C.P. Yogeshwar.
Mr. Bidari joined the Congress in March during the run-up to the Assembly polls and sought ticket from Teradal constituency. He was disappointed as the Congress decided to field actor Umashree.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was also rumoured that he would join the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP), headed by the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa. However, he finally found political base in the Samajwadi Party.
Speaking to The Hindu from Lucknow over phone, Mr. Yogeshwar said: “The party has unanimously decided to make Mr. Bidari the State unit president and make use of his experience in building the party in the State.” He said that party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav would announce officially this in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Asked about his party’s stand in the by-polls to the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Council, Mr. Yogeshwar said that he and Mr. Bidari would return to Bangalore on Wednesday and take a decision after a discussion with party supporters.
ADVERTISEMENT