Former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar, 67, on Tuesday said he has been asked by the BJP central leadership not to contest the May 10 Assembly elections, to which he has expressed his displeasure. “I received a message from the seniors in the party that I am senior and a former CM. So, make way for others,” Shettar, a sitting MLA from Hubli-Dharwad Central, told reporters.

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Shettar, a former BJP state unit president and Assembly Speaker, said he has worked hard for 30 years to build the party in the north Karnataka region. “I have told them that I will contest the election. Whatever you have said is not acceptable to me. So, please reconsider your decision and give me an opportunity to contest the election again,” he said. The former CM noted that he got elected to the Assembly six times and every time had won the seat with a margin of 25,000 votes or more.

“I questioned them why I should not contest the election. What are my minus points? In the survey, which they have done in all the constituencies, according to the information I got, a positive response has come—almost 70 per cent positive response and public opinion is there (in my favour),” Shettar claimed.

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