Mahila Congress leader R. Reshmi has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She accepted BJP membership from the party’s State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar here on Saturday. There was speculation over the past several days about her moving closer to the BJP. Ms. Reshmi was the UDF candidate against Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal in the Kottarakara constituency the 2021 State Assembly elections. On Saturday, Ms. Reshmi said she had decided to part ways with the Congress, of which she had been a member for 20 years, due to certain “bad experineces” following the last Assembly polls. Ms. Reshmi’s move to the BJP also comes amid reports that P. Aisha Potti, the former CPI(M) MLA who had joined the Congress, would contest as the UDF candidate in Kottarakara in the 2026 Assembly polls. Mr. Chandrasekhar indicated that Ms. Reshmi would be a candidate in the upcoming elections. Published – February 21, 2026 09:30 pm IST Share this: Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email More Click to print (Opens in new window) Print Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon Click to share on Nextdoor (Opens in new window) Nextdoor Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky Like this:Like Loading... Post navigation Bagalkot returning to normalcy; entry of Mutalik, Kerehalli barred for a month Nitish Kumar directs Transport Department to make Bihar roads safer for pedestrians under ‘Saat Nischary-3’