Bengaluru: K. Jayaprakash Hegde, former Minister and former chairperson of Karnataka State Backward Classes’ Commission, on Tuesday joined the Congress.

He is likely to get ticket to contest Lok Sabha elections from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency. He was elected to Parliament from this constituency earlier too. A few days ago,  Hegde submitted the caste census report to the State government

He won the Lok Sabha byelection in 2012. In 2017, he joined the BJP. Mr. Hegde served as chairman of the Karnataka Backward Class Commission during the previous BJP government, a position he continued to hold under the Congress government.

Former Byndoor MLA Sukumar Shetty and former Mudigere MLA M.P. Kumaraswamy also joined the Congress in the presence of KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Ministers G. Parameshwara and K.J. George.