Ballari: Despite the efforts of deputy Chief Minister Govind Karajol and other Bharatiya Janata Party leaders to dissuade him, party rebel Kaviraj Urs filed his nomination as an independent candidate against its official candidate, disqualified legislator, Anand Singh, for the Vijayanagar bypoll on Monday.
The last day for filing of nominations also saw Mr Singh, Congress candidate, Venkatrao Y Ghorpade, and JD(S) candidate, N M Nabi file their papers for the bypoll battle ahead..
To Mr Singh's dismay, Mr Kaviraj took out a procession from the Vadakaraya temple to the assistant commissioner's office with his supporters to file his nomination and was later doused in 101 litres of milk as he made his way back from it.
Going by sources, the rebel leader is being backed by some local RSS and BJP men, who are against the party's decision to field “party hopper” Anand Singh, as he had joined the Congress ahead of the 2018 assembly poll despite winning the 2008 and 2013 state elections on a BJP ticket.
In a show of bravado, Mr Singh too went in a huge procession to file his nomination papers, accompanied by Mr Karajol, Ballari MP, Devendrappa, Koppal MP, Karadi Sanganna and other senior leaders.
Mr Ghorpade also arrived in procession accompanied by MLAs , PT Parameshwar Naik, E Tukaram, JN Ganesh and former MP, VS Ugrappa, who described the bypoll as a “battle between a Congress party loyalist and a betrayer,” apparently referring to Mr Singh as the latter.
Mr Nabi was accompanied by former MLA, NT Bommanna when he arrived to file his nomination papers.
