New Delhi:  The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday expelled KS Eshwarappa from the party for six years after the leader decided to contest in the going Lok Sabha election as an Independent candidate from the Shivamogga parliamentary constituency of Karnataka. 


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The party released a statement saying that KS Eshwarappa embarrassed the party as he was going to contest as an independent candidate.


"BJP expelled KS Eshwarappa from the party for 6 years for 'embarrassing' the party by contesting as an Independent from Shivamogga constituency," Karnataka BJP said.


Shivamogga Parliamentary constituency is going to the polls on May 7 in phase three of Lok Sabha Election 2024.


Former deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and party's senior leader KS Eshwarappa submitted his nomination papers as an independent candidate on April 12 from Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat.


April 22 was the last day to withdraw from the paper,  three independent candidates who filled the nomination earlier, now withdrew their papers. While 23 people including former BJP Minister K.S. Eshwarappa have remained in the fray.


The candidates who are going to contest are BJP leader B.Y. Raghavendra of BJP, Congress leader Geetha Shivarajkumar, Karnataka Rashtra Samiti party leader S.K. Prabhu, Uttama Prajakeeya Party leader Aruna Kanahalli, Young Star Empowerment Party candidate Mohammed Yusuf Khan and Bahujan Samaj Party candidate A.D. Shivappa 


On the other hand, the list of independent candidates consists of the names of KS Eshwarappa, G Jayadeva, EH Nayak, Chandrashekhar HC, Bandi, Sandesh Shetty A, DS Eshwarappa, P Sripathi Bhat, Imtiyaz Attar, Ravi Kumar N, Pooja N Annaiah, Suresh Poojari, Shivarudraiah Swamy, John Benny, Ganesh B., Kunaje Manjunatha Gowda and NV Naveen Kumar.