Former Congress leader and ex-Karnataka chief minister SM Krishna will join the Bharatiya Janata Party on March 15, BS Yeddyurappa said. Krishna will be inducted into the party in the presence of BJP National President Amit Shah, PTI quoted the Karnataka BJP president as saying.

However, Krishna, former Union minister of external affairs, has not yet commented on joining the BJP. Krishna had resigned from the Congress on January 29 alleging that the party had sidelined him. “Congress don’t want leaders these days, they only want managers who can handle a situation”, he had said.

This report comes ahead of the by-polls slated to be held in Nanjangud and Gundlupet areas in Karnataka on April 9. After veteran Congress leader V Srinivas Prasad resigned, the Nanjangud seat fell vacant. Prasad later had joined the BJP. Gundlupet’s MLA Mahadeva Prasad died on January 3 after which the by-polls were necessitated.

Assembly elections in Karnataka will be held in 2018.