MYSURU: MV Ravishankar on Thursday filed his nomination as the BJP candidate for South Graduates’ legislative council seat – the first candidate to do so across parties.
Known as a loyal BJP functionary, the 57-year-old Ravishankar has risen through the RSS swayamsevak ranks and has been a BJP functionary for 30 years.
He was party incharge of Mysuru division. He had unsuccessfully contested the MLC polls from the same constituency in 2016 but lost to Marithibbe Gowda of JD(S). Nalin Kumar Kateel, state BJP president, accompanied Ravishankar on the trip to file his papers. Later, Kateel, while addressing a meeting of party workers, lambasted Siddaramaiah, former chief minister and opposition leader in the legislative assembly.
Kateel accused the Congressman of neglecting development work in his home town and questioned his achievements on the growth front of Mysuru region saying he has failed to deliver despite being chief minister and deputy chief minister for years. He demanded Siddara- maiah specify development projects he sanctioned or initiated for the region when he was CM and DyCM.
Kateel said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi put Mysuru on the world map by upgrading infrastructure within eight years of his administration. Though Siddaramaiah served as minister and DyCM and CM, he did not focus on the development of Mysuru. ”
Shobha Karandlaje, Union minister of state for agriculture and farmers’ welfare, also attacked Siddaramaiah claiming he has done nothing even for the Kuruba community from which he hails. She said many functionaries in Congress and JD(S) are fed up with their parties and are lining up to join BJP.
