Expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader KS Eshwarappa on Tuesday said that he is not scared of any expulsion and was positive about his electoral prospects as an independent candidate from Karnataka's Shivamogga constituency.
The veteran politician's comment came after the BJP on Monday expelled him for a period of 6 years "for embarrassing the party". BJP state disciplinary committee president Lingaraj Patil said in the expulsion order that Eshwarappa's decision to contest as an independent candidate is "violation of party discipline."
"I have decided to contest as a non-party candidate, I still have hope, I do not fear any expulsion. I will contest elections and win and will go back to BJP again. I have competed five times with the lotus sign," Eshwarappa was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The decision to relieve Eshwarappa comes after he rebelled against the saffron party and said he is no longer with it and doesn't fear any disciplinary action. The former BJP state unit President was miffed with his son KE Kantesh being denied a ticket from the Haveri Lok Sabha seat in the southern state, from where former Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai is contesting.
Eshwarappa blamed former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa and his son as well as Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra for his son Kantesh not getting a Lok Sabha ticket.
"Take whatever disciplinary action you want. I don't fear such threats. My intention is similar to that of PM Narendra Modi. Modi says he is fighting against family politics of Congress' Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi at the centre, while my (Eshwarappa) efforts are towards bringing out the party from the clutches of father and sons (Yediyurappa and sons)," he said.
KS Eshwarappa, who has served as the former Karnataka Deputy CM under Jagadish Shettar and the party's state unit President, filed his nomination from Shivamogga as an independent candidate on April 12.
Eshwarappa's Shivamogga battle is not an easy one as he will contest against BS Yediyurappa's elder son and sitting MP BY Raghavendra and Congress' Geetha Shivarajkumar, wife of Kannada superstar Shiva Rajkumar.