The Aryavarth Express
Agency(Karnataka): In a defiant move, senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa, whose son was earlier denied a ticket for the Haveri-Gadag Lok Sabha seat, has declared that he will contest independently and win the elections, even if Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself tries to change his mind.
Speaking at a public gathering in Shivamogga, Eshwarappa addressed a question from a female supporter who inquired about his response if PM Modi were to visit his home and try to persuade him against running independently.
Eshwarappa firmly stated, “In this gathering of supporters, I want to assure you that even if Modi attempts to visit my house, I will not entertain him. I will not disrespect my supporters or activists, and I am confident that I will successfully run for elections and emerge victorious.”
Expressing his disappointment with the BJP’s decision to deny a ticket to his son, KE Kantesh, Eshwarappa earlier claimed that he had served the party faithfully for 40 years and alleged unfair treatment.
“CT Ravi, Sadananda Gowda, Nalin Kumar Kateel and Pratap Simha have also come out in my support, saying it was unfair,” Eshwarappa asserted.
He had initially claimed that his supporters were urging him to contest the Shimoga seat as an Independent, opposite BY Raghavendra, the son of former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, as a mark of protest.
On March 13, the BJP released its second list of 72 Lok Sabha candidates, including three former chief ministers and four Union Ministers. In Karnataka, the party fielded Union Minister Pralhad Joshi from Dharwad, Tejaswi Surya from Bangalore South constituency, and BY Raghvendra from Shimoga, among others.
Eshwarappa had expressed his disappointment, stating, “BS Yediyurappa had promised that he would give the ticket to KE Kantesh from Haveri. So I sent my son Kantesh there to campaign…But today my son KE Kantesh didn’t get the ticket, and BS Yediyurappa’s son got the ticket again.”
The BJP had released its first list of 195 candidates earlier this month, featuring Prime Minister Modi from Varanasi, Home Minister Amit Shah from Gandhinagar, and Mansukh Mandaviya from Porbandar.
Eshwarappa’s defiant stance and threat to contest independently, despite potential persuasion from the Prime Minister himself, highlights the internal rifts within the BJP in Karnataka, where the denial of tickets to certain aspirants has led to dissent and rebellion.