Nikhil Kumaraswamy.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: JD(S) leader and NDA’s Channapatna candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy indirectly lashed out at his opponent C P Yogeshwar on Sunday, saying “one man’s decision” had pulled him out of the break he had taken from electoral politics.
Nikhil and Congress’ C P Yogeshwar are locked in an intense fight in the November 13 bypoll. Speaking at an election campaign, Nikhil said: “Even though Congress and JD(S) were running an alliance government in 2019, leaders of the Congress conspired to defeat me and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda in the Lok Sabha elections. I am in pain because I suffered due to a political conspiracy.”
“The development works by former PM Deve Gowda and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy will protect me. I hope voters will support a youngster to work as their voice.” Calling the voters of Channapatna to God-like, Arkalgud JD(S) MLA A Manju recollected that Kumaraswamy had won here in 2023, despite campaigning for a limited time.
Congress candidate and 5-time former MLA from Channapatna C P Yogeshwar, who recently quit the BJP to join Congress, said he did not switch sides for personal gains. “I switched parties for the development of Channapatna,” the former minister said. Former Bangalore Rural MP D K Suresh said Karnataka was the only state from Kashmir to Kanyakumari that had implemented the five guarantees and credited CM Siddaramaiah and DCM D K Shivakumar for it.