BJP MLA’s son to contest from Chitradurga as independent

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: BJP MLA from Holalkere M Chandrappa’s son MC Raghu Chandan announced that he would file a nomination as an independent from Chitradurga on Wednesday.

The saffron party has given the Chitradurga ticket to former minister Govind Karjol.

Chandan had pointed out that Karjol was not a Chitradurga district native and had lost from the Mudhol Assembly seat in Bagalkote district last May.

It is to be noted that both Mudhol Assembly seat and Chitradurga Lok Sabha segment are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs).

BJP MLC N Ravikumar had called on Chandan at his Chitradurga residence on Sunday but the latter didn’t change his mind about contesting as an independent.

“We have told them (BJP) that we will do it (file nomination papers) on April 3. We have been talking to local leaders,” Chandan told mediapersons.

“He (Ravikumar) told us about the perspective of the party system and party culture. I asked him, despite having local leaders, why did you get a candidate from 510 kiolmetres away? He told me why they had done it but I didn’t find the answer to be adequate. So I told him this was the decision we had taken,” he added.

Chandan said that no senior BJP leader had tried to contact him to dissuade him from contesting. “(BS) Yediyurappa has also not contacted me,” he said.