Eshwarappa rules out midterm polls

Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K S Eshwarappa on Friday ruled out a midterm election amid speculation that the B S Yediyurappa-led BJP government may not complete its full term.

Eshwarappa was responding to a recent prediction by the Kodi Mutt seer that the BJP government was short-lived. "I respect the seer and I welcome his prediction because whenever the polls will be held - four months or four years later - the BJP will come to power with a majority. But there will not be a midterm election and the government will complete its term,” Eshwarappa told reporters.

Former JD(S) minister Venkatarao Nadagouda, too, said midterm polls were unlikely and that “no one was ready for it.”