New Delhi: K.S. Eshwarappa, former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and a rebel within the BJP, revealed on Wednesday night that he was unable to secure a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital. Despite this setback, Eshwarappa affirmed his decision to run as an Independent candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing reporters in New Delhi, Eshwarappa stated, “I was unable to meet the Home Minister, and I remain firm in my decision to contest as an Independent candidate.”
Eshwarappa explained that after being summoned to Delhi by Shah, he received notification that the meeting could not take place. Interpreting this as tacit approval for his independent candidacy, Eshwarappa expressed determination to challenge BJP’s official candidate, B.Y. Raghavendra, in the Shivamogga constituency.
Raghavendra, the son of former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, has been nominated by the BJP for the seat.
Asserting his resolve to contest against the BJP, Eshwarappa declared, “With the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, I will emerge victorious.”
Eshwarappa’s dissent stems from the party’s decision to deny a ticket to his son, K.E. Kanthesh, for the Lok Sabha polls in Shivamogga. This disenchantment follows a similar denial of a ticket to Eshwarappa himself for the Karnataka Assembly elections last year.
Additionally, Eshwarappa has vowed to oust B.Y. Vijayendra, Yediyurappa’s son, from his position as state BJP chief. Eshwarappa, one of the senior-most BJP leaders in Karnataka, played a pivotal role in building the party alongside Yediyurappa and others from its inception.