BSP smells Shivakumar's ploy after candidate withdraws from Bangalore Rural

Bengaluru: The Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has accused Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar of "forcing" its candidate Dr Chinnappa Y Chikkahagade to withdraw from the Bangalore Rural election fray.

Shivakumar's brother D K Suresh is seeking re-election in Bangalore Rural. The BJP has fielded cardiologist Dr C N Manjunath, who is giving Suresh a run for his money.

Catching the BSP by surprise, Chinnappa withdrew his candidature. "He withdrew his nomination because Shivakumar threatened him into doing so. He must have offered money," BSP Karnataka in-charge Marasandra Muniyappa said.

"When we tried contacting Chinnappa, he told us over phone that he's not in a position to talk. He said he was made to undergo trouble," Muniyappa claimed.

In 2019, Chinnappa had contested on the BSP ticket from Bangalore Rural and polled 19,972 votes, finishing third.

Muniyappa also accused Shivakumar of "falsely claiming" that the BSP is supporting Congress. "It is me who has to take that decision. How can he (Shivakumar) say that without our permission?" Muniyappa said.

Muniyappa has ordered Chinnappa's expulsion from BSP. On what his party would do next in Bangalore Rural, Muniyappa said a decision will be taken after discussions with Mayawati, the BSP national president.

In the wake of BJP's alliance with JD(S), Congress has constituted a coordination committee comprising nine smaller parties in Karnataka, including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), CPI, CPI-M, Samajwadi Party, CPI-ML, DMK, NCP (Sharad Pawar), Forward Bloc and IUML. The Congress does not want anti-BJP votes to be split up.