S M Krishna joins BJP a year before Karnataka Assembly polls

Krishna joined BJP in Delhi in the presence of party president Amit Shah

Former Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, giving the party a crucial urban face and a leader amongst the dominant Vokkaliga community ahead of the Assembly elections next year.

Krishna, as the Congress chief minister played a role in helping Bengaluru retain the tag of India's tech hub against Chandrababu Naidu's Hyderabad in the early 2000's. He had roped in Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani and got him involved in improving Bengaluru's infrastructure. His urban focus had drawn the ire of rural voters across Karnataka, reeling under drought, losing power in an ill-timed election that