The announcement by Chairman of Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti that he will be contesting his next MLC election on BJP ticket has not gone down well with a section of the BJP leaders, including one of the aspirants and former MLC Mohan Limbikai, who has accused Mr. Horatti of spreading falsehood.
Speaking to presspersons in Hubballi on Sunday, Mr. Horatti had announced his decision to join the BJP. He also said that he will be contesting his next election as BJP candidate from the Karnataka West Teachers Constituency, which he has won a record seven times.
He had also said that BJP leaders had invited him to join the party and he had accepted the invitation and that national party president J.P. Nadda and the former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had given consent to the proposal.
However, Mr. Limbikai has expressed reservations over the whole development and said that nobody has invited Mr. Horatti to join the BJP. Mr. Limbikai, who held a press conference in Hubballi on Wednesday, said that Mr. Horatti is trying to create confusion among voters by spreading falsehood.
He said that Horatti is afraid of losing the election this time and so is eager to contest on BJP ticket. Moreover, Mr. Horatti has crossed 75 and there is no chance of the party considering his candidature.
“The BJP will not give any post to leaders who have crossed the age of 75. Even in the case of Mr. Yediyurappa, veteran leaders L.K. Advani and Murali Manohar Joshi, this rule has been applied,” he said.
Mr. Limbikai even said that he has received confirmation from senior leaders of the party that his (Mr. Limbikai) candidature has been finalised and sent to the party high command. “Moreover, they have asked me to continue my campaign. I have already enrolled 10,000 voters,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Horatti, who has declined to comment further on the issue, has clarified that he is in no hurry and teachers who have elected him for a record seven times are his guardians.
