JOIN USHe was addressing a gathering as part of the election campaign for BJP candidate Sanganna Karadi, contesting for the Koppal byelections, in the City on Friday.
“The truth will be out soon. I am confident that I shall come out clean,” he said. Overcome with emotion, Yeddyurappa, quoting Basavanna’s vachanas, said, “I ran the administration believing in the policy - equality for all. It is the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) have brought me down through conspiracy, he added.
An acid test
“The byelection is like an acid test for me. The victory of BJP candidate Sanganna Karadi will prove the popularity of the pro-people schemes implemented during my tenure as the chief minister,” he said.
He appealed to the people to vote for Karadi Sanganna.
No impact
Earlier, speaking with mediapersons, the former chief minister asserted that the arrest of former minister G Janardhana Reddy and B Sriramulu’s resignation from the Assembly will have no impact on the byelection.
He said the people were aware of what was happening in their constituency. They will not decide to vote, based on what was happening in Bangalore or in the US. It was the constituency that mattered.
The citizens will decide to vote going by the popularity of Sanganna Karadi and the achievements of the BJP Government. And Karadi will win with a huge margin, he added.
He said there was no dissidence in the BJP. The allegations were nothing but a creation of the media.
The byelections will prove that there is unity in the party, he said. Minister for Industries Murugesh Nirani, District In-charge minister Lakshman Savadi and others were present.
19 in fray for Koppal bypoll
As many as 19 candidates have filed their nomination papers for the Koppal byelection scheduled to be held on September 26, reports DHNS from Bangalore.
Koppal will be the 20th Assembly segment which will be facing byelections after the BJP came to power in the State in May 2008.
A bypoll in Koppal was made necessary after Karadi Sanganna, representing JD(S), resigned from his Assembly membership and joined BJP under ‘Operation Lotus.’ Sanganna is now contesting the bypoll on a BJP ticket. Sanganna filed his nomination papers on Friday.
The Congress has decided to field former MLA Basavaraj Itnal, who hails from the Kuruba community, as its candidate. Thirty-year-old Pradeep Patil is the JD(S) candidate. The bypoll will be the first after Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda took over the reins of power from his predecessor B S Yeddyurappa.
After a tug-of-war between former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and party president K S Eshwarappa on who should lead the by-poll campaign, the ruling state BJP has been directed by the party central leadership to face the bypoll under a collective leadership. September 12 is the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers.