Cake walk for Anitha kumaraswamy as BJP candidate withdraws from race

With Chandrashekar’s departure from the contest, Anitha, wife of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, is facing the elections alongside five other independent candidates. (DH File Photo)

In a major setback for BJP and embarrassment to its karnataka state  leaders ., ahead of the bypolls, it’s Ramanagara candidate, L Chandrashekar has withdrawn from the race declaring that he will rejoin the Congress.

He also said that he would extend support to the coalition candidate, Anitha Kumaraswamy, leaving the saffron party in utter chaos  

Ramanagara, along with four other constituencies, is going to polls on November 3.

Addressing the media in Bengaluru on Thursday, Chandrashekar claimed that he was forced to take such a decision as he found no support or cooperation from leaders in the BJP. The party lacked unity, he said.”I am deeply hurt by the negligence shown by the BJP leaders. Not only was I completely sidelined, but the factionalism in the BJP also started to adversely impact my candidature. 

The BJP leaders can’t tolerate each other. Also, none of them were accessible to me. That is why I have decided to withdraw from the race and support Anitha Kumaraswamy,” he said.

Chandrashekar, who had joined the BJP just two days before the bypoll nomination dates were announced, hit out at all senior saffron leaders including B S Yeddyurappa, D V Sadananda Gowda, C P Yogeeshwara and R Ashoka.

During the presser, he was flanked by Congress MP D K Suresh, who is in charge of the Ramanagara bypoll for the JD(S)-Congress combine.

Suresh said that he welcomed Chandrashekar’s decision. “Chandrashekar is originally from Congress. I welcome his decision. He is upset with the BJP leaders for the way they have treated him. I don’t blame him for taking such a call,” he said, adding that Chandrashekar had informed the Election Commission about his decision.

With Chandrashekar’s departure from the contest, Anitha, wife of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, is facing the elections alongside five other independent candidates.

The bypoll here was necessitated after Kumaraswamy, who contested from both Ramanagara and Channapatna, decided to retain the latter.