Shimoga to give new Karnataka CM on May 15: BJP

Shimoga (Karnataka) [India] April 25 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday said that Shimoga will give Karnataka a new Chief Minister in the form of B.S. Yeddyurappa on May 15.

Addressing a press conference here, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said Shimoga district has given many Chief Ministers in the past and will give another one this time.

"I am very fortunate to be addressing this press conference from one of the very important districts of Karnataka-'Shimoga'. It has given many chief ministers in the past and we'll see that once again on 15 May 2018, we will have yet another CM as BS Yeddyurappa from the same district," Patra said.

The BJP leader also said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's decision to contest from two assembly constituencies shows his 'nervousness'.

"As far as Siddaramaiah contesting from two seats is concerned, our question is you were in government from last 5 years, and if you had performed what was the need for nervousness? If you had performed you would have been confident of contesting from one seat," Patra said.

Siddaramaiah has filed nomination papers from Badami and Chamundeshwari assembly constituencies. The BJP has put its Member of Parliament B Sreeramulu from Badami constituency.

Patra exuded confidence that Seeramulu will defeat Siddaramaiah.

"Sreeramulu contesting from Badami is a strategy which will defeat incumbent Chief Minister. It is a strategy and that is why Congress and Siddaramaiah are extremely nervous," the BJP spokesperson said.

He also trained his guns at Congress President Rahul Gandhi and said that Congress leader Salman Khurshid himself exposed the true face of Congress.

"Salman Khurshid exposed the true face of Congress. Their own leader said 'Ye haath khoon se ranga hua hai' (this hand is soaked with blood). Rahul ji you call all Hindus 'saffron terrorists'. Is this way to appease minorities by releasing Popular Front of India (PFI) workers responsible for heinous crimes?" Patra said.

He said that Rahul Gandhi is holding 'Save the Constitution' campaign, but he must answer the issue of crimes of PFI in Karnataka.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar also told reporters in Bengaluru that the Congress will have to face 6.5 crore people of Karnataka in the upcoming assembly elections.

"The only polarisation happening in Karnataka is that on one side it is Congress, while on the other side it is 6.5 crore people of Karnataka," Ananth Kumar said.

The assembly election will be held in Karnataka on 12 May 2018 in all 224 constituencies of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The counting of votes and announcement of result will take place on 15 May 2018. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI