Shivamogga: Congress alleges Eshwarappa's candidacy is a ploy

Contesting as BJP's rebel candidate, Eshwarappa is giving a new dimension to the Lok Sabha contest in Shivamogga.

Eshwarappa’s decision to contest as an independent candidate, despite the intervention of the BJP top brass, has paved the way for a triangular contest. Till Eshwarappa decided to throw his hat into the ring, it looked like a straight fight between the Congress and BJP. Now, it is a three-cornered fight between B Y Raghavendra of BJP, Geetha Shivarajkumar of Congress and independent candidate and senior politician K S Eshwarappa.

'Sham' act

Congress spokesperson Ayanur Manjunath, however, created a flutter in political circles by alleging that Eshwarappa and Yediyurappa have entered into a pact to ensure Raghavendra’s victory from Shivamogga seat. Speaking to The Federal, Ayanur Manjunath described Eshwarappa’s rebellion as a ‘sham’.

Manjunath, a one-time BJP loyalist, has been a close associate of Eshwarappa and Yediyurappa for decades. He quit BJP in April 2023 and joined JD(S) ahead of the Assembly election. But, he left JD(S) in just four months and teamed up with Congress in August 2023.

Ayanur added that Eshwarappa’s rebellion is a "sham act". He says "Yediyurappa entered into an agreement with Eshwarappa to facilitate the victory of his son by dividing the backward classes' votes."

Ayanur, who is campaigning for Geetha Shivarajkumar in Shivamogga said, “I personally know both Eshwarappa and Yediyurappa, they can stoop to any level. Can you imagine Eshwarappa antagonising Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah? Just a threat of an ED raid from Amit Shah is enough to make Eshwarappa fall in line. It is BJP's well-knit strategy to humble Geetha Shivarajkumar, that’s all.”

According to Ayanur, Eshwarappa will be appointed Governor after the polls, while his son K E Kantesh will be included in the Legislative Council.

And, he also pointed out, “Eshwarappa has no courage to contest elections independently. He clearly has the support of the party's top brass.”

Figment of imagination

However, Eshwarappa rubbished Manjunath’s allegation calling it a ‘figment of his imagination’. Eshwarappa told The Federal that he would file the nomination papers as an independent candidate from Shivamogga seat on April 12. But his symbol is yet to be decided.

Meanwhile, Eshwarappa alleged that his supporters are getting death threats from anonymous callers. But they are undeterred by the threats and continue to stand by him, he said. Congress workers too have promised to work for his victory in the polls, he added.

Political journey

Hailing from a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) stronghold, Eshwarappa was jailed during the 1975 Emergency. After the Emergency was lifted, he became very active in politics.

Eshwarappa became district BJP unit president in 1982, and worked hard to get Shivamogga its first BJP MLA, the late M Ananda Rao. Eshwarappa contested from Shivamogga in 1989 and defeated Congress candidate K H Srinivas.

Five-time MLA from Shivamogga, Eshwarappa was appointed as state BJP Yuva Morcha president in 1991 and in 1993 he became state BJP president. He also contested in the 2002 Lok Sabha polls against former prime minister H D Deve Gowda in the Kanakapura seat and lost.

In January 2010, he resigned as minister and was unanimously elected as Karnataka BJP state unit president. This move was seen as BJP’s strategy to tackle Leader of Opposition in the Assembly then at that time - Siddaramaiah. He served as the deputy CM in the government headed by Jagadish Shettar.

Eshwarappa once landed in a major controversy after a contractor Santosh Patil committed suicide in April 2022. He accused Eshwarappa of harassing him for commissions to clear the bills for contracts Patil had implemented for the government.

U-turn on retirement plan

In 2023, he wrote a letter to party national president J P Nadda announcing that he is ready to retire from electoral politics and requested them against considering his name for any Assembly constituency. Eshwarappa turned 75 in June 2023, the unofficial age bar in BJP for leaders to contest polls and hold official positions.

This is why he refrained from contesting from Shivamogga Assembly seat in 2023. But, Eshwarappa seems to have re-entered electoral politics challenging dynastic politics in BJP, especially aimed at his friend-turned-foe B S Yediyurappa.

Rebellion in Shivamogga after 12 years

According to a senior BJP leader, who is associated with both Eshwarappa and Yediyurappa, BJP rebel politics has raised its head in Shivamogga after a gap of 12 years.

A senior BJP leader said that both Eshwarappa and Yediyurappa are his "close friends”.

According to him, Shivamogga faced a similar situation, when Yediyurappa floated his own party, the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) on December 9, 2012, just before the Assembly polls.

"Yediyurappa, however, dissolved KJP on January 4, 2014, before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and merged his party with the BJP. Now it is the turn of Eshwarappa, who is upset with the unmet promise made by his friend Yediyurappa," said the leader.

He admitted that Eshwarappa is right to protest what he claims is Yediyurappa's dynastic politics, but he did not agree that the rebel leader should fight over his son's not getting a ticket from Haveri. He expressed regret over the ongoing power politics in Shivamogga.

Refusing to call the political development as “sham”, he also said, “Let us see, there is still enough time for candidates to file their nomination papers."