Mangaluru : Discontentment is brewing in the Congress in Mangaluru city ahead of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) council election.

Many leaders have quit the party citing various reasons and joined the BJP. Former mayor Purandaradas Kuloor has resigned from the party, citing the reason that he was ignored during the candidates’ selection process, though he was a sincere party worker.

Meanwhile, Arun Coelho, former president of the Dakshina Kannada District Youth Congress, has submitted his resignation to the party, as he is against the marginalisation of senior leader B Janardhana Poojary. Similarly, a few other leaders, including Varun Raj Ambat, secretary of the district Youth Congress and Shashiraj Ambat, general secretary of INTUC, also resigned from the Congress.

A group of leaders, who resigned from Congress, including Purandaradas Kuloor and Arun Coelho, on Friday joined the BJP in the presence of party president Nalin Kumar Kateel.