Karnataka MLC Polls: BJP discharges ex-minister of party duties

The BJP on Tuesday relieved former minister A Manju of all party duties, which looks like a fallout of his son getting the Congress’ ticket to contest in the upcoming Legislative Council elections.

Manju’s son Dr Mantar Gowda is now the Congress’ candidate from the Kodagu local authorities’ seat in the upper house.

Manju himself was a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government before he jumped ship to the BJP and contested, unsuccessfully, as the saffron party’s Hassan candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Also read: Karnataka MLC Polls: JD(S) fields only seven candidates

“Recent developments have given rise to some suspicion. As a result, you are relieved of your responsibility of being in charge of the party’s Mandya district unit and all other responsibilities,” BJP disciplinary committee president Lingaraj Patil said in a letter to Manju.

Manju was earlier the legislator of the Arkalgud assembly constituency in Hassan. Speculation is that he is keen on returning to Congress. In July this year, a delegation of Congress leaders from Arkalgud met Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar and asked him to take Manju back.

This is not the first instance of a BJP leader’s kith and kin contesting from the Congress in the December 10 Legislative Council polls. The Congress has fielded Cooperation Minister ST Somashekhar’s aide Dinesh Gooligowda as its candidate from the Mandya local authorities’ seat. Dinesh, too, was with Congress before joining Somashekhar in the BJP.

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