Yeddyurappa formally returns to BJP

He said the party should aim at winning more than 20 (of the 28 Lok Sabha) seats in Karnataka in the general election.  BJP had secured 18 Lok Sabha seats in the last election.

He said the party should go to the Lok Sabha polls telling the people, “pardon our mistakes. We will not repeat them.”

“We have come together with an open mind,” said Joshi, after welcoming Yeddyurappa in the presence of former Chief Ministers D V Sadananda Gowda and Jagadish Shettar and national General Secretary Ananth Kumar.

Ananth Kumar, who was perceived as a bete noire of Yeddyurappa and considered a stumbling block for his re-entry earlier said, “we will never separate. We will be together. We will fight together.”