Jayaprakash Hegde not withdrawing papers

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Dec 11, 2015: Congress leader, K. Jayaprakash Hegde, who had filed his nomination as a rebel for the Udupi and Dakshina Kannada Local Authorities Constituency for the legislative council polls, on Dec 10, Thursday refused to withdraw his candidature despite both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president G. Parmeshwara asking him to do so.

Pratapchandra Shetty is the official Congress candidate for the constituency. Congress leaders such as B. Bhujanga Shetty, Shankar Kundar and Harikrishna Bantwal have also filed their nominations, upset at the Congress high command re-nominating  Pratapchandra Shetty.

 Hegde is reported to have said from Kundapur that both CM Siddaramaiah and  Home Minister Parameshwara had called him in this regard. Both had asked him withdraw his candidature and come for a discussion to Bengaluru.  Hegde said that both of them told him that there was no question of asking Pratapchandra Shetty to withdraw.

“My point to them was simple. When Pratapchandra Shetty had declared that he would not contest, why give the ticket to him?” he asked. He said that he had told them that he was ready to withdraw his candidature, provided the Congress party gave its ticket to any of the nine other applicants for the ticket other than Pratapchandra Shetty.

The Congress top brass had held no discussion within the party before deciding on Pratapchandra Shetty, it is sated.