HUBBALLI: Legislative Council Member (MLC) C P Yogeshwar, who resigned on Monday, said he is thinking of contesting the upcoming Channapatna bye-elections as an independent candidate. Earlier, Council Chairman Basavaraja Horatti accepted his resignation in Hubballi.
Yogeshwar is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former tourism minister under the B S Yediyurappa led cabinet. He has decided to contest the upcoming bypolls for the Channapatna Assembly election as an independent candidate.
“I am contesting the upcoming Channapatna Assembly by-election. I hadn’t decided about joining any other party, but I am thinking of contesting as an independent candidate. As the bye-election comes, some rumours start to spread, I don’t have such intentions, but what happens tomorrow, I don’t know”, he said.
He also appealed to Union Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy to give him a chance to contest the bypolls. “I request, through the media, to the high command (BJP) to give me a chance to contest bye-election. I have been working for the party for so many years and appeal to Kumaraswamy to give me a chance”, he said.
Channapatna will go for by-polls on November 13. The seat fell vacant after the election of its representative, JD(S) state President D Kumaraswamy, to Lok Sabha from the Mandya parliamentary segment.
On Monday, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, R Ashoka, dismissed the reports of a tussle between the BJP and the JD(S) over the Channapatna Assembly seat for the coming by-election. “There is no tussle or anything over the Channapatna Assembly seat. I discussed this with Kumaraswamy for two hours. He is a good friend; there is no problem”, Ashoka said.
“We will clear the symbol in a day or two— whether it is JDS or BJP. That will be decided by the NDA. Kumaraswamy is also a major stakeholder in this seat”, he added. (ANI)