Former Karnataka chief minister Jagdish Shettar, who had quit the BJP to join the Congress ahead of the state assembly polls last year, rejoined his old party on Thursday.

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Shettar cited his long association with the BJP, and said many of his well-wishers wanted him to join back the party.

The Lingayat leader joined the party in the presence of former Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa, Union ministers Bhupender Yadav and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra and its media head Anil Baluni.

Party sources said Shettar had met Home Minister Amit Shah and its national president J P Nadda as he was persuaded to rejoin the saffron organisation which he had quit in a huff after being denied a ticket to contest the assembly polls.

He had then joined the Congress but lost the polls. The Congress has, however, made him a MLC, a position he has now quit to join the BJP.

Shettar also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, saying India has been strengthened under him.