KJP will contest all 224 seats, says Yeddyurappa

Former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa said on Wednesday that the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), which he is set to launch next month, would contest all the 224 seats in the Assembly elections due next year.

“I will field KJP candidates in all 224 seats in the next elections,” he told reporters at Mantralaya, 70 km from here.

Yeddyurappa, who plans to quit BJP this month-end, said he was confident of his party doing well.

Alliance ruled out

He ruled out an alliance with the JD(S) and Congress, but would hold talks with farmers’ bodies and other organisations.

Yeddyurappa said though the Lokayukta report had not indicted him in the illegal mining scam, he was forced to resign as party state President K S Eshwarappa and other leaders conveyed a wrong message to the BJP central leaders.

BJP leaders flayed

He accused former chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda, State BJP president K S Eshwarappa, party leader Santoshji, the party’s national general secretary Ananth Kumar and national leaders of the party of conspiring against him.

Addressing a press conference in Raichur, Yeddyurappa asked the party’s national leaders not to contact him as that would send a wrong message to the people.

He reiterated that there was no question of he returning to the BJP. He said a committee had been formed to prepare the manifesto for the KJP.