Bengaluru: Nirantar Ganesh, a doctor by profession and grandnephew of former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, on Wednesday joined the Congress, just a few weeks after Mr. Krishna quit the party in favour of the BJP.

Dr. Ganesh is an orthopaedic doctor at a private hospital in the city. He hails from Mudigere in Chikkamagaluru district and provides free medical treatment for those in need in the villages of Kadur for two days a week.

Along with Dr. Ganesh, several other doctors also joined the Congress. He is likely to be the Congress candidate from Kadur constituency in the 2018 elections. The constituency is now represented by Y.S.V. Datta of the JD(S).

Dr. Ganesh joined the Congress in the presence of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president Dinesh Gundu Rao. Mr. Rao said Dr. Ganesh comes from a sound family and would work for the party in the coming days.

Mr. Rao also said the 2018 polls would be fought under the leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and this has been endorsed by the AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Digvijaya Singh.

Mr. Rao said more leaders, particularly from the JD(S), would join the party in the coming days.