"Narendra Modi should be re-elected as PM for third term": Expelled Karnataka BJP leader Eshwarappa

Shivamogga (Karnataka) [India], May 3 : BJP's expelled senior leader, KS Eshwarappa, said that the people of the country and the world want Narendra Modi to be re-elected as Prime Minister for the third term.
"Our world leader, Narendra Modi, should be the Prime Minister of this country once again. This is the wish of the entire country and the world," Eshwarappa told ANI.
KS Eshwarappa, who is an expelled BJP leader, is contesting as an independent candidate from Karnataka's Shivamogga in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Regarding his independent candidature from Shivamogga, Eshwarappa said that after the elections, he intends to reunite with the BJP.
"I want BJP to win 27 seats, I will win one seat as an independent candidate and a total 28 members (on 28 seats) in Karnataka will contribute to making Narendra Modi the Prime Minister...BJP is my mother. I joined the BJP after my graduation and from that time till today, I abide by its principles. I have not joined any party till now and will not join any other party till the end. Because of certain problems, I am out of the party but after the elections, I shall go back to my mother (BJP)", Eshwarappa said.
Speaking on how he will go back to the BJP after the elections, since he has been expelled for 6 years, Eshwarappa said, "Both me and Jagadish Shettar were told not to contest the assembly elections. Within 5 minutes, I sent my letter from the Centre saying that I would not contest the elections, but Jagdish Shettet went to Congress from there, contested the election from Congress and lost again later. After bringing him to the BJP from Belgaum, what happened after 6 years? He left the party. When Jagadish Shettar was taken back to the BJP, why not me?
Referring to his son, KE Kantesh, who has obtained a stay order from the court restraining 50 media houses from publishing any kind of defamatory text or video clips on him, the expelled leader said that everyone is conspiring in his son's case.
"Everyone is conspiring in my son's case. I am winning the election. Our opponents are doing all this to change the diversion. We have been doing politics for the last several decades. No one has ever given us a single wrong piece of information. Conspiracy. Some people are doing it. This is a conspiracy and the court will finalise it. I will not say anything about it," he said.
Eshwarappa hoped that the party would consider Kantesh for the Haveri seat in the Lok Sabha polls. He chose Haveri considering the constituency has a considerable number of Kuruba voters--a community to which he belongs--but to his dismay, his son was denied the ticket.
When asked about JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna's sexual harassment case, which has stirred up a political row in Karnataka, Eshwarappa said that these are personal issues of the party and will be dealt with by the court as necessary.
"These are personal problems. Kejriwal is still in central jail. While in jail, he's managing the administration and is also contesting elections. I will not speak about these personal issues. The public is watching. The public and the court will give them punishment," Eshwarappa said.
Regarding Rahul Gandhi's call for an apology from PM Modi over the Prajwal Revanna case, Eshwarappa said, "So many leaders of the Congress party have been to jail. How many times has Rahul Gandhi apologised on behalf of leaders from his party? DK Shivakumar is on bail. It is easy to talk about others".
Rahul Gandhi on Thursday hit out at PM Modi for endorsing JD (S) candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha Constituency Prajwal Revanna who is now accused in an alleged sexual harassment case.
He said that PM Modi should apologize to the women of Karnataka.
"Prime Minister Modi will have to apologize to every sister of Karnataka and the nation. What Prajwal Revanna did is called as 'rape', it's not a sex scandal but a mass rape. And, Narendra Modi asked for votes for this 'mass rapist', he is telling Karnataka that if they vote for that mass rapist, he will be benefited. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was asking for votes, he knew what Prajwal Revanna has done", Rahul Gandhi said.
Hassan MP and Former Prime Minister HD Dewe Gowda's grandson Prajwal Revanna has been suspended from the Janata Dal (Secular) over his alleged involvement in the 'obscene videos' case.
Revanna was booked in an alleged sexual harassment case on April 28 following complaints by his former housekeeper. The case has been registered under sections 354A, 354D, 506, and 509 of the IPC on charges of sexual harassment, intimidation and outraging the dignity of a woman.
Shivamogga will go to polls in the third phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on May 7.
Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha seats and elections in the state are being held in two phases. Voting for 14 seats concluded on April 26 and the remaining 14 seats will undergo polling on May 7. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4.
In 2019, BJP almost swept the state by winning 25 out of 28 seats, while Congress and JD-S -- who were running a coalition government in the state -- could only win one seat each.
This time BJP and JD-S are in coalition with the former fighting on 25 seats, while the latter is contesting three seats.