Eshwarappa Files Nomination As Independent From Shivamogga, Defying BJP

Nominations were submitted by rebel Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Eshwarappa as an Independent candidate from the Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency, in defiance of party orders, on Friday.

Accompanied by his wife Jayalakshmi, Eshwarappa's nomination papers were submitted to the district Returning Officer Gurudatta Hegde at the deputy commissioner's office.

Photo Credit: PTI

Eshwarappa Files Nomination

Before this, prayers were offered by him at the Ganapati temple at Ramanna Shreshti Park in Shivamogga. Confidence in his win was expressed by the veteran leader. "All talks of negotiations are over. There will be a direct contest now. All leaders and workers are with me. People are also with me. If I win, I will go to PM Narendra Modi," he told ANI.

Eshwarappa had also criticized the party for assigning the Haveri seat to former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and denying a ticket to his son, Kantesh Eshwarappa.

Regarding Eshwarappa's decision to contest as an independent candidate, Kantesh said, "It's not against the party, Modi. It's against family politics. It's against the Yediyurappa family. We have to save the BJP in Karnataka. And my father is doing that. My father's vote will be the first vote for PM Modi in the 2024 election," as reported by ANI.

Karnataka, which has 28 Lok Sabha seats, will have voting conducted in two phases on April 26 and May 7.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress and JD(S) fought together against the BJP. The BJP had won a record 25 seats; Congress and JD(S) won just one seat each. The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 will be held in seven phases starting on April 19. The counting of votes on June 4.