BJP leader Eshwarappa skips PM's rally in embarrassment to party ahead of LS polls

The 75-year-old former Deputy Chief Minister, who has turned down the invitation to attend the event, was seen visiting maths of various communities.

Updated on: Mar 19, 2024, 09:58:46 IST

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Senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa, who has raised a banner of revolt over denial of ticket to his son to contest the coming Lok Sabha elections from Haveri, on Monday skipped Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally here, in an embarrassment to the party.

The 75-year-old former Deputy Chief Minister, who has turned down the invitation to attend the event, was seen visiting maths of various communities. Eshwarappa has announced he will contest as an independent candidate from Shimoga (Shivamogga) in the coming Lok Sabha polls, blaming veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa and his son B Y Vijayendra, who is state BJP President, for his son K E Kantesh being denied ticket.

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Yediyurappa's son and sitting MP B Y Raghavendra is the BJP candidate from Shimoga, and Eshwarappa is firm on contesting against him despite efforts by the party leaders to pacify him. Eshwarappa, a former BJP state president, Yediyurappa and former Union Minister late H N Ananth Kumar were widely credited with building the party from the grassroots in Karnataka. Yediyurapa and Eshwarappa hail from Shivamogga district.

Eshwarappa has alleged that Yediyurappa, who is a member of the Parliamentary Board, had promised Kantesh the ticket to contest from Havari but betrayed him. Yediyurappa has denied the charge, saying candidates are finalised by the party's central election committee and he had no role in it. BJP leaders, including party national general secretary and State poll in-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, met Eshwarappa to persuade him to change his decision but he stood his ground.

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Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has got BJP's Haveri ticket. Eshwarappa has alleged that the BJP in Karnataka is in the clutches of the Yediyurappa family, and has claimed that his fight was to "save the party and its ideology" in the state on behalf of "hurt party workers", and to make Narendra Modi Prime Minister once again.

He has also said that several Hindutva leaders were being neglected by Yediyurappa and Vijayendra. Speaking to reporters, Vijayendra expressed confidence about the Eshwarappa revolt issue getting resolved, and said it was natural for aspirants to get upset on not getting the ticket to contest elections.

READ | BJP's Sadananda Gowda expresses displeasure over ticket denial in Karnataka

Acknowledging Eshwarappa's contribution in building and strengthening the BJP in Karnataka, he said the candidates for Lok Sabha polls were decided by the party's national leadership, and it was not his decision.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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