Putting an end to all speculations, Umesh Jadhav, the Congress MLA from Chincholi who submitted his resignation to Speaker Ramesh Kumar on Monday, emerged on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stage at Nutan Vidyalaya Grounds in Kalaburagi on Wednesday, a couple of hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public rally from there.
A few minutes later, when Mr. Modi was in the other government programmes on the same ground, BJP State unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa, in the presence of R. Ashok, Bhagwant Khuba, Govinda Karajol, D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Ramesh Jigajinagi, Malikayya Guttedar, Baburao Chinchanasur and other party leaders, welcomed Mr. Jadhav by giving him the party flag. 'Purna Kumbh' welcome was offered to Mr. Jadhav by Lambani women in their traditional attires.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Jadhav said that he was feeling excited and proud to have joined BJP in the historical Nutan Vidyalaya Grounds where he had once attended the public meeting addressed by BJP veteran and former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Pointing at the BJP leaders on the stage and the cheering crowd, Mr. Jadhav said that he had joined the party having a strong faith in them all and appealed to them to support him in his future journey in the politics.
When Mr. Modi arrived on the stage, Mr. Jadhav, along with Bidar Lok Sabha member Bhagwanth Khuba, presented a gift containing the statues of Buddha, Basava and Ambedkar, to the Prime Minister and sought his blessings.
Malikayya Guttedar, who too had quit Congress and joined BJP ahead of last Assembly elections, presented a heavy silver mace to the Prime Minister.
