Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Feb 4: Former minister, Goolihatti Shekhar, who had extended support to Yeddyurappa-led BJP government in the state and became minister after getting elected as an independent, has officially joined BJP.

At a function held at the state BJP office at Malleshwaram here, state BJP president, B S Yeddyurappa, received Shekhar back into the party on Saturday February 3, by offering to him the party flag.

Former deputy chief minister, R Ashok, former ministers, Basavaraj Bommai and Jayaprakash Hegde, Chitradurga district BJP president, Naveen, former MP, G S Basavaraj, state BJP general secretary, Ravikumar, and leader, Lokeshwar, were among those who took part in the function.

Goolihatti Shekhar had joined other independent MLAs when they decided to support BJP at the time that party formed the government with support of Independents. He also was made a minister. When the independent MLAs decided to distance themselves from BJP later, he also had sided with them. He had also risen to fame because of an incident inside the state assembly in which he had torn the clothes he was wearing after he was disqualified from the membership of the state assembly.