Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday (April 22) expelled party leader-turned-rebel KS Eshwarappa from the party for 6 years for his decision to contest as an Independent candidate from Shivamogga. Eshwarappa, upset with his son being denied Lok Sabha ticket from Haveri in the state, had decided to contest as an Independent.
"BJP expelled KS Eshwarappa from the party for 6 years for embarrassing the party by contesting as an Independent from Shivamogga constituency," Karnataka BJP said.
He has expressed his displeasure against BJP's BS Yediyurappa and will be contesting against Yediyurappa’s son BY Raghavendra in the third phase of the Lok Sabha election.
Former deputy chief minister and expelled senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa submitted his nomination papers as an independent candidate from Shivamogga on April 12.
Three Independent candidates, who had filed nomination papers for the Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat, withdrew their papers on Monday. With that, 23 people including former BJP Minister K.S. Eshwarappa have remained in the fray.
Monday was the last day to withdraw the papers.
The candidates who are in the fray are B.Y. Raghavendra of BJP, Geetha Shivarajkumar of Congress, S.K. Prabhu of Karnataka Rashtra Samiti, Aruna Kanahalli of Uttama Prajakeeya Party, Mohammed Yusuf Khan of Young Star Empowerment Party, A.D. Shivappa of Bahujan Samaj Party.
Independent candidates are KS Eshwarappa, G Jayadeva, EH Nayak, Chandrashekhar HC, Bandi, Sandesh Shetty A, DS Eshwarappa, P Sripathi Bhat, Imtiyaz Attar, Ravi Kumar N, Pooja N Annaiah, Suresh Poojari, Shivarudraiah Swamy, John Benny, Ganesh B., Kunaje Manjunatha Gowda and NV Naveen Kumar.
(With ANI inputs)
