Mangaluru (The Hindu): K. Jayaprakash Hegde, who has been expelled by the Congress for contesting against the party’s official candidate in the forthcoming Legislative Council polls from Dakshina Kannada-Udupi, on Thursday, said that it is time that Congress leaders desisted from resorting to personal attacks and involve themselves in issue-based discussions.

Speaking to presspersons here, Mr. Hegde, who had been a Minister in the Janata Dal government in 1994 and represented Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency on Congress ticket, said that he did not encounter any embarrassing questions from the voters during campaigning.

Receiving end

On the other hand, Congress’ official candidate Pratapchandra Shetty has been at the receiving end on many issues, including his laid-back attitude, re-entering the fray breaking his own commitment and the like, Mr. Hegde said. After Mr. Hegde decided to contest against the party’s wishes, he has become a “bad man” for many leaders, he said.

He said, “Congress leaders have been praising my work till recently; but now I am being criticised. This clearly shows the political motive behind such statements. Instead of resorting to personal attacks, let us talk on issue-based matters. As an MLA from Brahmavar for three times and as MP, I have done a lot of work for the people.”

Secret ballot

Seeking to dispel anxiety among the voters — members of local bodies — that their voting pattern might be tracked, Mr. Hegde said that the members can vote for any candidate and it is a secret ballot. There would be no party symbols on ballot papers; only names and photographs of candidates.

Some leaders have been misleading the electorate that their votes could be tracked; it is not true, Mr. Hegde said.

Asked whether he would get about 800 excess first priority votes of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mr. Hegde said that he would be getting votes from members belonging to all political parties, including the Congress and the BJP. He said that gram panchayat members, who constitute a major chunk of the electorate, are not elected on party symbols.

Responding to Congress leaders’ statements that Mr. Hegde was not grateful to the party, he said that the Congress fielded him from Kundapura Assembly constituency when it was sure of the party’s defeat.

Development

He wanted to contest from Brahmavar or Kapu. Again in the Lok Sabha polls, the party wanted to field him from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru when the defeat was sure. However, after his victory in the bypoll, he worked tirelessly for the development of the constituency.