Last Update: April 18, 2023, 20:05 IST
Former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar has joined the Congress at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office in Bengaluru. (File photo/News18)
BJP has selected its state general secretary (organisation) Mahesh Tenginkai for the Hubli-Dharwad Central seat.
Former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar on Tuesday claimed that BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh denied him a ticket in the poll-bound state. Shettar, a six-time MLA, on Monday joined the Congress after quitting the saffron party and was given a ticket to contest from the Hubballi-Dharwad Central constituency.
The BJP fielded its state general secretary (organisation) Mahesh Tenginkai for the same seat.
He said, when there was a possibility of winning with maximum votes, the question arose why the ticket was not cut. I saw that the person whom people respect and call him Santoshji is BL Santosh, who is the root cause of all this,” Shettar was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI At a press conference in Hubli.
“BJP gave ticket to Tenginkai, who worked for the party organisation. If the party wanted to honor him, it could have made him an MLC or given him some important position.” Kalghatgi constituency in Dharwad district but local leaders revolted. The party was forced to field Nimbannavar It was lying
He also accused Tenginkai of running a “whisper campaign” against him over the past six to seven months.
Stating that Santhosh has several “manas putras” (a person who is treated like a son), Shettar said, “This manas putras (Tenginkai) have been waging a whispering campaign against me with his disciples for the past six to seven months. had started.”
Polling for the 224-member Karnataka Assembly will be held in a single phase on May 10 and the results will be released on May 13.
‘Shettar will have to face defeat’
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader Arun Singh said BJP workers would teach Shettar a lesson by ensuring his defeat in the Karnataka elections for betraying the party.
Singh, the BJP general secretary in-charge of the state, insisted that Hubli-Dharwad Central, the traditional seat of Shettar, who is now fighting as a Congress candidate, has been and will remain a “safe” seat for the ruling party.
“Shettar was winning from the constituency because it was a BJP seat and not because of any mass base which he never had. BJP workers are upset with his betrayal of the party and will ensure his defeat. He will be taught a lesson,” Singh told PTI,
He said Tenginkai is also a Lingayat like Shettar and belongs to the former chief minister’s sub-caste.
(With inputs from PTI)
read all latest politics news Here
