Kannada Actor Darshan's Arrest Shakes Up Channapatna Bypoll

Karnataka BJP leader C P Yogeshwar alleges that Congress planned to field Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa in the Channapatna Assembly bypoll before his arrest in a murder case. The bypoll is necessitated by the election of JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy to Lok Sabha. BJP-JD(S) alliance readies for the election.

Karnataka BJP leader C P Yogeshwar on Friday claimed that Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and his brother, former MP D K Suresh, had planned to field Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, now under arrest for murder, as the Congress candidate for the upcoming Channapatna Assembly bypoll.

The bypoll is necessitated following JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's election to Lok Sabha. The Election Commission is yet to announce the schedule for this seat. ''Their surprise candidate is behind bars now,'' Yogeshwar remarked, responding to Suresh's recent statement about a mystery candidate.

Without directly mentioning Darshan, Yogeshwar revealed that the actor was intended to be Congress' trump card, but his arrest has derailed those plans. ''He is a film star who has campaigned for Congress. The DK brothers had planned to face the election through him,'' Yogeshwar said. Darshan, known as ''Challenging Star'', was arrested for the murder of Renukaswamy, a fan, after an online spat involving actress Pavithra Gowda.

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