Dismissing speculation of him joining the Congress, senior BJP leader M P Renukacharya on Friday said that he was a strong BJP ticket aspirant to contest Lok Sabha elections from Davangere constituency.
After his meetings with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief minister D K Shivakumar here triggered another fresh round of speculation about Congress party’s plans to “scout winnable candidates” to ensure party wins at least 20 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Renukacharya said: "Today being Varamahalakshmi festival, I met my mentor and BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa to seek his blessings, then I met CM, DCM and Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda to extend my wishes to them on this auspicious day."
The former minister quickly added that he sought their 'support and cooperation' to declare Honnali-Nymati taluk as drought affected. "I may have lost elections, but I continue to fight for my people, so meeting with CM and DCM is nothing wrong...," he said.
Renukacharya said "How does the question of me joining the Congress arise, when I am an aspirant for the BJP ticket to contest Lok Sabha elections? I am still a BJP leader. Meeting the chief minister or his deputy does not mean that I would join the Congress. Media must refrain from spreading such rumours," he said.