2 months ago
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As the bypoll fever rises on with the ambient somesthesia successful Bagalkot, antithetic stories look to look from the camps of the BJP and the Congress. While a batch of elder Congress leaders are engaged campaigning for Umesh Hullappa Meti, the enactment nominee, it seems that Veeranna Charantimath, the BJP candidate, is isolated and mostly near to fend for himself.
The representation of Mr. Charantimath arsenic a short-tempered person against Mr. Umesh Meti, who is seen arsenic brushed spoken and approachable, seems to person focused the run connected individuals alternatively than parties.
Mr. Charantimath’s superior governmental hostile is his younger member Mallikarjun Charantimath, a Congress leader. Mr. Mallikarjun Charantimath had fought the 2023 elections arsenic an Independent and gained implicit 10,000 votes. Hullappa Yamanappa Meti of the Congress won that predetermination with a borderline of astir 5,800 votes. A fewer months later, Mr. Mallikarjun Charantimath joined the Congress.
After the bypolls were announced, determination were rumours connected societal media that helium was readying to articulation the BJP. But helium countered them. He said that respective BJP leaders, from Bagalkot and Bengaluru, had contacted him and asked him to articulation the BJP.
“No BJP person has met maine till now. They bash not person the motivation courageousness to conscionable me. They are lone making telephone calls and inviting maine to articulation the BJP. My question to them is regarding the clip of their invitation,” helium told reporters successful Bagalkot recently. He was contiguous erstwhile Mr. Umesh Meti filed his nominations and has been progressive successful the Congress campaign.
Other elder BJP leaders with section power similar Murugesh Nirani, erstwhile Minister, and Basavaraj Katageri, erstwhile president of the Bagalkot City Municipal Council, are yet to articulation Mr. Charantimath’s campaign. Some leaders similar P.H. Pujar, erstwhile MLA, and Hanumant Nirani, MLC, are seen successful nationalist rallies. They are besides campaigning successful parts of the city, but they are not seen on with the enactment nominee.
When reporters asked Mr. Charantimath astir the lack of immoderate leaders successful his campaign, helium said helium would not invitation anyone to enactment him. “Only those who are genuinely funny successful the party’s triumph volition articulation the run without asking,” helium said.
“Mr. Charantimath has served arsenic our MLA 3 times successful the past. But helium failed to instrumentality everyone along. He focused connected a fewer of his loyalists, his acquisition society, and his cooperative society. This alienated him further,” said a elder BJP leader, who has served arsenic a zilla panchayat member.
Mr. Charantimath’s agelong lasting relationship with expelled BJP person Basanagouda R. Patil Yatnal is nary secret. On the time the BJP announced its nominees, Mr. Yatnal said helium would campy successful Bagalkot for a week and run for his friend. Not everyone successful the BJP campy believes that Mr. Yatnal’s beingness volition assistance the party. They consciousness it would harm the run and embarrass the party, arsenic Mr. Yatnal is known to insult and ridicule enactment State president B.Y. Vijayendra and his begetter B.S. Yediyurappa.
As if connected cue, Mr. Charantimath responded to queries by reporters, saying helium had not invited Mr. Yatnal, but helium had heard him unpaid to run for him.
