Congress leader Jagadish Shettar, BJP leader Mahesh Tenjinakai (Photo/ANI). Image Credit: ANI
HUBBALLI:
The battle in the Hubli-Dharwad Central constituency in the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections is set to get more interesting as a ‘guru-shishya’ fight between two prominent Lingayat leaders has raised election fever in the seat. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Mahesh Tenginkai against the turncoat Jagadish Shettar for the seat in the upcoming polls.
BJP state general secretary Mahesh Tenginakai has been chosen to contest the election from the Hubbali-Dharwad Central Assembly constituency which was previously held by Shettar. He will contest against former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, the Congress nominee. Tenjinakai on April 18 sought blessings from Jagadish Shettar before filing his nomination for the seat.
“Jagadish Shettar has been my guru. This fight is between a guru and his shishya. I am confident that my guru will bless me,” Tenginakai said.
Speaking to ANI, Shettar said, “I am neither Mahesh Tenginkai’s guru nor he is my shishya. His Guru is in Delhi and he is a loyal disciple of his guru in Delhi. BL Santhosh is his Guru. Because of his guru, he got the ticket.
The former Karnataka chief minister accused Tenginkai of running a ‘whispering campaign’ against him over the past six to seven months. He further said, “What is his contribution? Just being an office bearer is not enough. The people of Hubballi want involvement in their representative in the constituency. Just getting the ticket from BJP is not sufficient.”
Shettar on Monday joined the Congress party, a day after quitting the BJP after being denied a ticket for the May 10 assembly polls in the state. Jagadish Shettar became the second senior leader from the Lingayat community to leave the ruling BJP and join Congress in less than a week. Earlier, former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi joined the Congress.
BJP leader Mahesh Tenginkai who replaced Shettar from the Hubli-Dharwad Central constituency said that the party still has the support of Lingayats and that the exit of a few leaders does not make a difference. The battle in Hubbali has become more interesting as two prominent Lingayat leaders will give a tough fight to each other.
Mahesh Tenginkai is a prominent leader of the Lingayat community, who has a stronghold in the Hubli-Dharwad region. He has been associated with the BJP for over two decades and has held various positions in the party organisation. He is also a successful businessman and a social worker. The contest between Tenginkai and Shettar is expected to be a close one, as both are popular leaders of the Lingayat community and have strong organisational backing.
The 224-seat Assembly polls are slated to take place in a single phase on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13
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