Udupi, Mar 23: Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shobha Karandlaje who filed her nomination papers from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru parliamentary seat yesterday said that there was no dissatisfaction in the party over her candidature.
Speaking to media persons she said there might be many aspirants for party ticket in the constituency, but once the party decides on the candidate, everyone works like soldiers on the ground.
“The #GoBackShobha campaign and appeal to vote for NOTA instead of the BJP is a conspiracy of the Congress. No one from the BJP is involved in it. I am confident that I will double my margin of victory this time from 2014,” she said.
She said she had done her best to get projects and schemes of the Union government to the constituency. Still, the problems of arecanut and coffee growers need to be addressed. “The people want the decisive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will re-elect the BJP,” she said.
She also said the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ was a coalition of several parties vying for power without any goal. “The Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) government in the State is the best example of a ‘Mahagathbandhan’ where the coalition parties are constantly fighting,” she claimed.
She said the State government had failed to tackle vital issues such as drought in the State. “We will focus on the achievements of the Modi government and the failures of the coalition government in our campaign.”
Public meeting
Ms. Karandlaje said she filed her nomination papers in a low-key manner on Friday because of the muhurta and as it was a “holy day”. She will file them again, this time after taking out a large procession of BJP workers, on March 26.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is expected to address a public meeting here on that day before the submission of papers. She will also hold an interaction with the fisherman community, Ms. Karandlaje said.
To a query, she said the Congress was in a “pathetic condition” as it had to surrender the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru seat to its ally JD(S) even though former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had won from Chikkamagaluru in the bypolls held in 1978.
Rs 10.4 crore assets
Ms. Karandlaje has assets worth Rs. 10.48 crore, including movable assets worth Rs. 7.38 crore and immovable assets of Rs. 3.10 crore, while she has liabilities of Rs. 4.99 crore, as per the affidavit filed by her with the Returning Officer of Udupi-Chikkamagaluru parliamentary constituency here on Friday.
When compared to last five years, her assets had increased by Rs. 3.12 crore, while her liabilities had increased by Rs. 1.18 crore.
As per the affidavit, her movable assets include 1,000g of gold biscuits worth Rs. 33 lakh and other gold and silver ornaments worth Rs. 22 lakh. She also owns a multi-utility vehicle and a scooter.
She has 15-and-a-half cents of land (6,752 square feet) in Puttur valued at Rs. 10 lakh. She has a residential building in Bengaluru valued at Rs. 3 crore.
She has Rs. 1.29 lakh cash in hand. Her total income is Rs. 24.16 lakh as per her last income tax return filed in 2017-18. Her liability is a loan from a private firm of Rs. 4.99 crore.
Ms. Karandlaje has three criminal cases against her. She holds a postgraduate degree in Social Work from Roshni Nilaya, Mangalore University, and a postgraduate degree in Sociology through correspondence from Mysore University, according to the affidavit.
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