BENGALURU: Karnataka BJP Vice President Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, who was denied a ticket by the party from Bangalore South, Monday rejected "rumours" she was asking people to vote for NOTA and said her name was being "misused".
She said her call to people has always been "vote for BJP to make Narendra Modi Prime Minister once again" and added that she has filed a police complaint as it is was an attempt to level a "false allegation" against her.
"There are pamphlets being shared on the social media, including Whats App groups that I have been asking people to vote for NOTA. This is far from the truth my name is being misused and this is an attempt to level false allegations against me," Tejaswini said in her first interaction with the media after taking over as BJP state president.
Stating that she has come from and belongs to the "BJP parivar" and pointing to her late husband Ananth Kumar's association with BJP, including his stint a six-time MP from Bangalore South and as Union Minister, she said "now I have also been made party Vice President. I have never said it, some are doing it to confuse voters."
"I have always said, vote for BJP to make Narendra Modi Prime Minister once again and have been campaigning in the same way. There is no need to vote for NOTA," she said, adding she has filed a police complaint on the matter and the cybercrime division had also been requested to take strict action.
Posters asking people to vote NOTA in Bengaluru South to support Tejaswini Ananth Kumar are being shared widely on social media.
She declined to comment to a question on the reported statement of B L Santosh, BJP National Joint General Secretary (Org), on the party denying a ticket to her, saying she had not heard him directly stating it and only seen media reports.
"It will not be fair for me to comment. He is a senior leader and holds a high office in the party will discuss with him," she added.
Santosh had reportedly said that the BJP cannot give a ticket on the basis of one's genes, in reference to Tejaswini being denied the ticket. Many within BJP feel Santosh was instrumental in getting the party ticket to Tejaswi Surya from Bangalore South.
Tejaswini said though she has seen party activities from up close, she has a lot to learn now that she was directly involved in the party affairs.
"The priority is now to win more seats for BJP. Last time we had sent three MPs from Bangalore region. This time we will have to send all the four (indicating Bangalore rural, where Congress has a sitting MP)."
Asked whether she has got a satisfactory explanation on why she was denied a ticket, Tejaswini said, "This is a time of war, at such time you cannot get answers to all questions. Party leaders may have had their own reasons for giving someone a ticket. They may talk about it later." She said she was always with the party and its leadership.
In a surprise move, BJP on March 26 had announced the ticket to 28-year-old Tejaswi Surya, just hours before the deadline for filing of nominations for the first phase of polls in Karnataka, denying ticket to Tejaswini, who was earlier tipped as the party candidate.
The decision to deny her the ticket had created resentment within the BJP, as it was the state leadership which had recommended her name to the central leadership.
Tejaswini too had initially stayed away from campaigning, but subsequently she was appointed as state BJP vice President.
Congress' B K Hariprasad is in the fray from Bangalore South.