Actor-turned-politician Prakash Raj has conceded defeat in his first election, which he contested from the Bengaluru Central constituency in Karnataka. Taking to Twitter, the independent candidate, who was trailing third, said, “Solid slap on my face. As more abuse, trolling and humiliation come my way, I will stand my ground.”
Prakash was contesting the Lok Sabha Election against BJP’s sitting MP from the constituency, PC Mohan, and Congress’s Rizwan Arshad. The multi-lingual actor had announced his entry into politics on January 1, 2019 and had begun campaigning even before he filed his nomination.
a SOLID SLAP on my face ..as More ABUSE..TROLL..and HUMILIATION come my way..I WILL STAND MY GROUND ..My RESOLVE to FIGHT for SECULAR INDIA will continue..A TOUGH JOURNEY AHEAD HAS JUST BEGUN ..THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO WERE WITH ME IN THIS JOURNEY. .... JAI HIND
— Prakash Raj (@prakashraaj) May 23, 2019
Conceding defeat as trends showed that the competition was only between Mohan and Rizwan, Prakash added in his tweet, “My resolve to fight for secular India will continue. A tough journey has just begun.” He also thanked those who had supported him in the journey.
Prakash, who had been vocal on social and political issues for a while, mainly banked on the anti-Modi rhetoric during his election campaign. He had used auto rickshaws during his campaign in a bid to reach out to the middle class as well as the economically backward electorate.
In Bengaluru Central constituency, 12 out of 18 rounds of counting have concluded. While Rizwan Arshad was leading in the seat earlier, sitting MP PC Mohan has taken a lead of over 41,000 votes now.
As of 2 pm, the BJP is leading in 24 out of 28 seats in Karnataka. Congress is leading in two and JD(S) in one.
Over all, the NDA is set to form the government at the Centre with the alliance likely to get a cozy majority of over 330 seats.