Mysuru: Senior leader , V Srinivasprasad, who left the Congress in a huff over being sacked from the state Cabinet and is now all set to contest the Nanjangud byelection as a BJP candidate, declared on Tuesday that he would retire from politics if he lost the poll and challenged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to do the same if his party lost to him.
Addressing 300 of his supporters from the Congress, who joined the BJP on Tuesday in Sinduvalli, Nanjangud taluk, he observed caustically that although the Congress claimed to have 30 candidates for the bypoll, it had to now bring a "31st candidate" from another party to contest it.
"But he is only a symbolic candidate. The real contest is between Siddaramaiah and I. The bypoll is a matter of prestige for me and I will win it. I have confidence in my voters. The Nanjangud byelections will be the start of making Karnataka, Congress muktha(free)," he declared, adding, "I agree with S M Krishna. Congress needs managers, not leaders. I had spoken of the suitcase politics in Congress long ago and Mr Yeddyurappa has only reiterated it."
Meanwhile, Kalale Keshavmurthy who has quit JD(S) to join Congress and contest as its candidate in Nanjangud, will join the party at the KPCC office in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
