The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Karnataka’s Kundapura Haladi Srinivas Shetty announced that he will not be contesting in upcoming assembly elections. The five-time MLA has also urged the BJP to not include his name in the list of candidates.
In an announcement, Haladi Srinivas Shetty said, “I will not be contesting in the assembly elections, and I took this decision voluntarily. As a five-time MLA, I have always done my job with commitment and always stood for social justice. I am happy that the people of Kundapura blessed me in every election and they even sent me to assembly in 2013 when I stood as an independent candidate. I will forever be indebted to the love and affection of people.”

Shetty also urged people to support BJP’s candidate, when they announce the name. “I request people and my followers to support whoever BJP chooses to field from Kundapura. I also sincerely thank the BJP for giving me an opportunity to serve the people,” said the statement. A section of Srinivas Shetty followers was unhappy when he was denied a cabinet ministry in the current government.
The Congress alleged that BJP’s harassment made the senior MLA quit electoral politics. A post in the official Twitter handle of Karnataka Congress read, “Haladi Srinivasa Shetty, a BJP MLA, has announced his retirement from politics because of BJP’s harassment. BJP has insulted not only Srinivasa Shetty but the entire Banta community, who was elected as an MLA for 5 consecutive times and was not included in the cabinet despite being a strong leader of the Banta community.”