Bengaluru: Mallikharjuna Khuba, former MLA will contest as the BJP rebel candidate from the Basava Kalyana assembly by-election.
Khuba who was in JDS, had joined the BJP before the 2018 assembly election. He was expecting a party ticket. Upset by the denial of the ticket he has now decided to contest as an independent candidate. By-election is necessitated following sitting MLA Narayana Rao succumbing to Covid 19 a year ago.
On Tuesday March 30 even though the BJP leaders including housing minister V Somanna tried to convince him, Khuba declined to withdraw his papers. He alleged that the party ticket was sold.
He is from the strong lingayat community.
