‘Sharanu Salagar chosen because he has been working for the people’

BJP leaders appeal to rebel candidate Mallikarjun Khuba to quit contest in Basavakalyan and instead support party candidate

After their efforts in their personal meetings failed to douse the rebellion posed by Mallikarjun Khuba, a BJP ticket aspirant for Basavakalyan byelection and who had been denied party ticket, the party leaders resorted to an appeal to Mr. Mallikarjun Khuba at a public meeting asking him to step down from contesting the bypolls as an Independent candidate and instead work for the victory of the party’s official candidate Sharanu Salagar. In a public meeting held at Shantiniketan Grounds in Basavakalyan before Mr. Salagar filed his nomination papers on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Housing Minister V. Somanna, Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chauhan and Lok Sabha member from Bidar Bhagwanth Khuba initially assured Mr. Mallikarjun Khuba of a good position in the party and political future in return for his withdrawal from the contest and, later, verbally attacked him for being irresponsive to people’s problems, clearly indicating the party’s offensive position, if he failed to withdraw from the contest. “If he [Mallikarjun Khuba] files his nomination papers as an Independent candidate, let us convince him of the need for him to withdraw from contest. If he doesn’t, let us fight him... the BJP is not a party that sells its election ticket for money. It gives ticket only to those party workers who honestly work for the party expecting nothing in return. Mr. Salagar has been chosen as the party’s candidate for Basavakalyan only because he has been working for the welfare of the constituency’s people. When people in the constituency were in distress twice in the recent past, during the COVID-19 lockdown and floods, it was Mr. Salagar who stood with the people helping them. The person who is upset with the denial of ticket was in Delhi,” Mr. Savadi said without taking the name of Mr. Mallikarjun Khuba.