Shivananda Naik, JD(S) candidate from the Uttara Kannada (U-K) Lok Sabha constituency, has withdrawn his nomination papers, amidst talks of a “secret understanding” between the JD(S) and the Congress.
The ostensible reason given by Naik is that he has not enough money to fight the elections and that the party has gone back on its promise to fund his campaign.
He has blamed former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and JD(S) MLA Madhu Bangarappa for the fiasco.
Naik has now made it clear that he will have nothing to do with the JD(S) and that he will not support anyone in the elections.
Strength
It was said that Naik would give a tough fight to the two national parties. He reportedly has a good following among Muslim voters.
Naik had lost the last Assembly elections from the Bhatkal seat, contesting on a KJP ticket. He had later quit the party to join the JD(S). It is said that a huge amount of money has changed hands, with the involvement of a senior politician from the district, in getting Naik to exit from the fray.
There is also talk that the JD(S) candidate’s withdrawal from the fray is a quid pro quo action for the Congress’ tacit support to JD(S) candidate Geetha Shivrajkumar in the Shimoga constituency.
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