Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that ex-Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar's decision to rejoin the BJP will benefit not only the party but also himself.

In a statement released on Thursday, Bommai said that Shettar had not joined the Congress out of any love for the party but because of unhappiness with the saffron party. He said that he had seen Shettar closely from the days of Jan Sangh and said that his DNA does not match that of the Congress.

"He might have been in Congress but his heart was still with the BJP. He understood the mentality of the Congress only after joining it. Shettar's return to the BJP will benefit both the party and himself," he said.

Bommai also said that it was only the beginning and there would be "gharwapsi" for some key Congress leaders. He claimed that the Congress would get divided into factions.

He also said that "no one can blackmail Shettar but Karnataka unit Congress chief D.K. Shivakunar had been doing blackmail politics since the beginning".

Bommai said that he will campaign for the candidates who will get tickets in the coming Lok Sabha elections. He said that all the efforts will be made to ensure that Narendra Modi continues to get the support of the people of Karnataka.

Inputs from IANS, edited with AI assistance.