BJP senior leader and OBC face K.S. Eshwarappa announced on Friday, at a meeting of his supporters, that he would contest against party veteran B.S. Yediyurappa’s son B.Y. Raghavendra for the Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat. This follows his son K.E. Kantesh not getting party ticket to contest for the Haveri Lok Sabha seat.
“I am contesting to free the party from the clutches of one family — Yediyurappa and his sons — and ensure that the party goes on the right path in tune with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision,” Mr. Eshwarappa said, while addressing the meeting of his supporters that had been convened in Shivamogga to elicit their views. He said he had chosen to contest the election “as a voice of hundreds of party workers disappointed over the recent developments in the party.”
Mr. Eshwarappa clarified that his contest was not against Mr. Modi. “I often say my party is my mother. But should I keep quiet when my mother is being strangled?” he asked.
