Bengaluru, Apr 17 (PTI) Former Congress MLA from Pulakeshinagar here, R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy joined the BJP on Wednesday.

He had quit the Congress after being denied a ticket to contest the Assembly elections last year.

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Murthy subsequently entered the fray on a BSP ticket but lost.

He was welcomed into the party fold by BJP veteran and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje, among other leaders.

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Pulakeshinagar Assembly constituency comes under Bangalore North Lok Sabha segment, from where Karandlaje is contesting in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

"Srinivas Murthy joining BJP before the elections has given the party a big strength," Yediyurappa said on the occasion. "Shobha Karandlaje winning with a margin of 2.5 lakh to three lakh votes is certain."

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)