“The Congress party has hurt my self-respect and dignity by not giving me the ticket. I have decided to contest from Kadur as an independent. I have vowed to uphold the pride of Kadur and show it to the state,” Y S V Datta, the former JD(S) MLA and a close aide of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, who joined the Congress recently, said on Sunday.
Addressing his supporters here, Datta said, “A unique situation has arisen in Kadur. The constituency will witness history. After a five-decade-long association with the Janata Parivar, I joined the Congress hoping that I would get a ticket. But the Congress disappointed me. Following the opinion of my supporters, I have decided to contest as an independent.”
With his stretched arms, Datta sought ‘one vote and one note’ from the public for his campaign. Donations poured in at the meeting with a Veerashaiva-Lingayat community member offering a cheque for Rs 2 lakh while another man donated Rs 50,000 cash.
Datta said that a meeting of his supporters will be convened on April 13 to decide on filing of nomination and campaign.
There were eight aspirants, including Datta, for Congress ticket from Kadur. Early this week, the Congress announced the candidature of K S Anand, who had unsuccessfully contested against BJP’s Belli Prakash from Kadur in the 2018 polls.