KS Eshwarappa, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka, announced on April 11, 2023, that he will not contest the upcoming election and will be retiring from electoral politics. Eshwarappa, who is currently 74 years old, has been a prominent figure in Karnataka's political landscape for several decades. He has held several positions in the state government, including Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
Eshwarappa, who represents the Shivamogga constituency in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, said that he had informed the party leadership of his decision and that he would continue to work for the party in a non-electoral capacity.
"I am withdrawing from electoral politics. The party gave me a lot of responsibilities in the last 40 years. I went from a booth in charge to state party chief. I also had the honour of becoming Deputy Chief Minister," Eshwarappa wrote in a letter to party chief JP Nadda.
Speaking at a press conference in Shivamogga on Tuesday, April 11, Eshwarappa said, “I will continue to work for the party on the ground to ensure the party comes to power in the state with an absolute majority. We have had many BJP CMs but not secured an absolute majority in the state yet, I will work to make that happen.”
He also added that he spoke to BS Yediyurappa over the developments in Delhi ahead of the announcement of candidate list for the Karnataka elections, before he decided to write the letter to Nadda on Tuesday morning. He also said that he had conveyed to his party seniors earlier that he did not want to contest elections, but they had insisted on it. “This did not feel right to me,” he said.
Last month, Eshwarappa had hinted that he might not be chosen as a candidate for the upcoming election, and his recent announcement of retirement from electoral politics may have been a preemptive move in response to this possibility.
Eshwarappa's political career was marred by his alleged involvement in the Santosh Patil suicide case. Patil, a BJP worker from Vijayapura, had named Eshwarappa in a suicide note, accusing him of harassment and corruption. Eshwarappa has denied the allegations, and the case is currently under investigation.
The former Minister’s decision has surprised many leaders, as he has been a prominent figure in Karnataka's political landscape for several decades and was expected to contest the election. The BJP leadership has not yet commented on Eshwarappa's decision.
