Jayanagar poll countermanded after BJP's BN Vijaykumar dies

Bengaluru: The Election Commission of India has countermanded the election for  Jayanagar constituency following the  the death of  BJP candidate, B.N. Vijaykumar, who collapsed Thursday evening while campaigning and passed away early Friday morning at the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology. No date has, however, been set for a by-poll.

Mr Vijaykumar, 60, was a bachelor and had suffered a heart attack a month ago. A stent was inserted in his heart by the Jayadeva hospital and he was advised complete rest for a month or so, but he began to actively campaign for the elections disregarding all warnings. 

One of three sons of a former HAL employee, he was drawn to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh at an  early age. His brother, B.N. Murthy , who was an all- India office bearer of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and Mr Vijaykumar, who was then the state BJP youth wing general secretary,  participated in the Hubli Idgah Maidan agitation in the early nineties. However, unlike some BJP leaders, who abuse  minorities, Mr Vijaykumar did not have a bad word to say for  anyone. “He was a  task-master when it came to organisational work but very courteous and soft-spoken in public life. Though he spoke of BJP ideology during elections, once elected he never spoke of it again. His constituency had a sizeable Muslim population and  a Muslim journalist brought to my notice how he helped the people get the benefits introduced by the  Modi government. This was the Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas that Mr Modi speaks about in action,” Mr Shreedhar added. 

Shops and business establishments in Jayanagar closed voluntaritly as a mark of respct for the sitting MLA.