Karnataka assembly poll: Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Saturday claimed that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to kill Kharge and his family. (Karnataka assembly poll) Randeep Surjewala made this claim by playing an audio clip at a press briefing in Bengaluru.

According to Surjewala, Manikant Rathore, the BJP candidate from Chittapur, had used derogatory language for Kharge and was talking about killing him and his family. Surjewala said that this matter should not be taken lightly, nor should it be ignored. He said that the people of Karnataka know the track of accused Manikant better than me. He is special to PM Modi and CM Bommai.

Karnataka assembly poll: Who is Manikant Rathore?

The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded Manikant Rathore as its candidate from Chittapur for the Karnataka Assembly elections. Rathore, 48, has about 40 criminal cases registered against him in several districts of Karnataka, including Kalaburagi. The charges against Rathod include murder, drug and narcotics trafficking, criminal intimidation and illegal possession of a weapon.

Rathore has also been accused in several cases of illegally transporting rice for free public distribution. He has been convicted in three cases, for one of which he was imprisoned for one year and asked to pay a fine of Rs 10,000.

Priyank Kharge gets threat

Manikant Rathod was last arrested in November last year on charges of threatening to kill Priyank Kharge, son of Mallikarjun Kharge. In a press conference, Rathore had told Priyank to shoot. However, he was later released on bail. Please tell that Priyank is the Congress party candidate from Chittapur for the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.

In December last year, Rathore filed a case with the Lokayukta against Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyank Kharge alleging that they embezzled government land and used it for the Karnataka People’s Education Society, founded by Mallikarjun Kharge.