A day after Kannada actor Kichcha Sudeep extended his support to the ruling BJP, Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar on Thursday said there won't be any impact on the upcoming assembly elections. He said there won't be any impact of Sudeep's support to the saffron party as 'politics is different and films are different'.
"I don't think there will be any impact on elections. So many film stars come and go, politics is different, films are different," Shivakumar, who is among the top contenders for the chief minister post in the state, said while speaking to reporters on Thursday.
Also read: 'I am shocked and hurt': Prakash Raj after Kichcha Sudeep announces support to BJP
Karnataka Minister K Sudhakar reacted to Shivakumar's statement and said this showed the political hollowness of the Congress leaders. "This is not the first time a celebrity is going to campaign for a political party. Kichcha Sudeep is a popular actor in Karnataka and he feels that the work done by Prime Minister is very noted and credible," Sudhakar said.
Sudeep on Wednesday held a press conference with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Bengaluru, where he announced his support for the BJP. He said he won't contest the assembly polls but campaign for the party. During the press briefing, he also said that he totally respected certain decisions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"I totally respect certain decisions Mr Modi has taken, but that has got nothing to do with me sitting here today," the actor said when asked whether he supported BJP's ideology. "I give my support to respected Bommai sir," Sudeep said.
Moments after Sudeep announced his support to the BJP, actor Prakash Raj said he was 'shocked and hurt' by the announcement. "I am shocked and hurt by Kichcha Sudeep's statement," Raj, a vocal critic of the saffron party, said.
The BJP, which failed to get a majority in the last assembly elections but managed to return to power, is seeking another term under the leadership of Bommai and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa. The Congress, however, believes that it can defeat the saffron party, whose government in the state has faced corruption charges repeatedly.