The Janata Dal (Secular), which has been left red-faced after two of its nominees withdrew from the fray, on Thursday accused the BJP of intimidating the two candidates to withdraw their nominations, while the third candidate, the party said, contesting from Gokak, refused to be cowed down.
Guru Dashyal, the party’s candidate from Athani, withdrew his nominations on Thursday, while Lingayat seer Shivalinga Shivacharya Swami, who had filed his papers from Hirekerur, has also backed out. It is alleged that the party’s Gokak candidate Ashok Poojari was under tremendous pressure from BJP quarters, but he stood his ground and did not withdraw. This means the party will contest 12 of the 15 Assembly constituencies going to the bypolls on December 5.
“The seer was pressurised to withdraw from the race, while Mr. Dashyal was threatened with dire consequences if he did not move out of the fray,” JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda alleged. “In the case of the seer, the Chief Minister’s son took the leadership role.” On the decision to field the Lingayat seer, Mr. Gowda said, “We neither lured him nor invited him to contest. The seer spoke to me and sought the ticket. His followers and disciples wanted him to contest following which we sent the B form through a party worker.”
He said an individual’s freedom to contest has been curtailed in Karnataka. “There have been several examples of seers contesting and entering Parliament. In the case of Uttar Pradesh, the peetadhipati of a mutt is the Chief Minister. However, in Karnataka, they [BJP] tried to portray it as wrong,” he added. In the case of Mr. Dashyal, the former Prime Minister said, “We know how he was forced to withdraw. He was in Hyderabad to protect himself. We also know who went to Hyderabad and under what circumstances he was brought b ack.” He said in Mr. Dashyal’s case, there was a threat to his life.
Mr. Gowda also said that the BJP had “let loose” their party workers on the JD(S) candidate in Yeshwantpur. In Mahalakshmi Layout, posters have been torn, he alleged. “I will take Mahalakshmi Layout bypolls as a challenge and I take the responsibility for the victory of our candidate,” he said.
EC to probe
When the allegation by the JD(S) that its candidates were being intimidated was brought to the notice of Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar, he said the commission will suo motu inquire into the two specific cases. “We do take cognisance of media reports in such cases, and inquire into them,” he said.
