Lok Sabha election 2024: The Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency of Karnataka, known for its tourist attractions, is in the middle of a high-octane political drama. KS Eshwarappa, the suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, has declared his decision to contest from the seat as an independent candidate against sitting MP and former CM BS Yediyurappa's son BY Raghavendra as well as Kannada superstar Shiva Rajkumar's wife and Congress candidate Geetha Shivrajkumar.
Shimoga will go to polls in the third phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on May 7. The Lok Sabha constituency has 8 assembly segments namely Shimoga Rural, Shimoga, Bhadravati, Tirthahalli, Shikaripura, Sorab, Sagar, and Byndoor.
Shimoga-- Yediyurappa family pocket borough since 2009
The parliamentary constituency, which has 8 assembly segments, has been a bastion of the Yediyurappa family since 2009. In the 2009 general elections, BY Raghavendra won from the seat by more than 4.82 lakh votes and a vote share of 50.58 per cent.
In 2014, Raghavendra ceded the seat to seat to his father and former CM BS Yediyurappa, who won by more than 6 lakh votes and a 53.69 per cent vote share. In 2019, the seat went back to Raghavendra, who won it by more than 7.29 lakh votes and commanded a vote share of 56.86 per cent.
Before 2009, the seat was a Congress pocket borough for the most part, with the sole exception of 1998 when BJP's Ayanur Manjunath won the seat.
KS Eshwarappa, BJP's OBC face in Karnataka expelled
On Monday, the BJP expelled Eshwarappa for a period of 6 years for "embarrassing the party" with his decision to contest from Shimoga independently. State BJP disciplinary committee president Lingaraj Patil said in the expulsion order, "Ignoring the party's directions, you are contesting as a rebel candidate from Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency, causing embarrassment to the party. This is violation of party discipline."
The former Deputy CM of Karnataka has openly rebelled against the BJP and said he is no longer with the party and doesn't fear any disciplinary action. Eshwarappa's rebellion against BJP Karnataka and especially Yediyurappa's family can pose a serious threat to the party's prospects in the southern state. The OBC leader is enraged after the BJP parliamentary board denied Haveri Lok Sabha ticket to his son KE Kantesh.
Why is Eshwarappa contesting as an independent?
Eshwarappa's decision to contest as an independent candidate against sitting MP BY Raghavendra is being seen by political pundits as his stand against "dynastic politics for Hindutva". The expelled BJP leader believes that his commitment towards Hindutva and eradication of family politics parallels that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's.
Besides this, he aims to protect the BJP's core principles by challenging the status quo. By contesting as an independent, Eshwarappa hopes that he will free the BJP from the stranglehold of BS Yediyurappa and his sons-- BY Vijayendra and BY Raghavendra.