Senior BJP leader Eshwarappa opts out of contesting Karnataka elections

Senior Karnataka BJP leader K S Eshwarappa on Tuesday said that he will not be contesting the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections.

In a letter to the national BJP president J P Nadda, the veteran legislator said his decision to opt out of electoral politics was out of his own will.

"For the past 40 years, our party has given me all responsibilities from booth president to state party president. I was also honoured to be the Deputy Chief minister of Karnataka. I thank all my seniors in the party for their trust," he wrote.

Eshwarappa would turn 75 in June, the unofficial age bar in the BJP for leaders to contest polls and hold official positions. Though there have been occasional exceptions as well.

The 5-time MLA is seen among those who had played a key role in building the BJP in Karnataka. He has been the saffron party's Kuruba (backward community) face in the state.

With his origins from RSS, Eshwarappa is known to be a strong and outspoken Hindutva idealogue, and has never been a stranger to controversies.

He had earlier said the BJP will not give tickets to Muslims to contest the elections as they do not believe in the party, and claimed that 'Bhagwa dhwaj' (saffron flag), may become the national flag some time in the future.

Santosh Patil, a Belagavi-based contractor, was found dead at a hotel in Udupi on Tuesday, weeks after accusing Eshwarappa of demanding 40 percent commission in a Rs 4 crore work.

In a purported suicide note in the form of a WhatsApp message, Patil had blamed Eshwarappa for his death.

The opposition Congress has targeted the ruling BJP over the issue, accused the Karnataka government and Chief Minister Bommai of trying to protect Eshwarappa. It demanded his arrest and that he should be booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Karataka will vote on May 10 and results will be announced on May 13. The BJP has not yet announced its first list of candidates for the election to the 224-member assembly.