Bengaluru: In a well-guarded political manoeuvre, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has reportedly brought BJP leader C.P. Yogeshwar into Congress fold, positioning him as the party’s candidate for Channapatna by-polls.

This election is shaping up to be a fierce contest between the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP-JD(S) alliance.

Siddaramaiah initially operated in secrecy to recruit Yogeshwar, devising plans three months ago that even kept Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar — also the KPCC President — and other senior party leaders in the dark.

Aware that Congress lacked a formidable candidate to challenge Union Minister and senior JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy (HDK), Siddaramaiah strategically opted for Yogeshwar, a five-time MLA from Channapatna, while keeping the operation under wraps.

Meanwhile, Shivakumar had been preparing to field his brother D.K. Suresh, who lost to Dr. C.N. Manjunath of BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha polls, from Bangalore Rural Constituency.

He had even toured the Constituency several times to gauge Suresh’s chances of victory if he contested from Channapatna. However, CM’s unexpected move to recruit Yogeshwar altered the landscape entirely.

With this manoeuvre, Siddaramaiah has effectively checkmated his deputy Shivakumar while also ensuring a strong candidate (Yogeshwar) to challenge HDK, who has been a significant rival for the CM since Congress regained power in the 2023 Assembly polls.