New Delhi: Amid speculations of Kichcha Sudeep joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Kannada superstar on Wednesday said that he is not joining any political outfit. At a joint press conference with Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Sudeep confirmed that he will only campaign for the saffron camp and that will not contest the upcoming Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections.
Stressing his affection and respect for Bommai and recalling that he stood by him during difficult times and shared a very close bond with his family, Kichcha Sudeep announced his support to the BJP leader.
"I'm not entering politics, nor contesting elections," Sudeep, who is best known for his performance in films such as 'Swathi Muthu', 'Kempe Gowda', 'Eega', and 'Pailwaan', said.
"There were only a few people who stood by me during my difficult times and among them, the main person and my loved one is Basavaraj Bommai 'mama'. It is a duty and gratitude that I have for this loveable person," the multi-lingual actor said.
When asked if he would campaign for the Chief Minister or the party he belonged to, Sudeep said he would only follow Bommai's instructions.
"I am here only because Bommai wants me to support a few people. However, I cannot campaign for everybody because humanly I cannot and I won't," he said.
On whether he supported the BJP's ideology, Sudeep said as a citizen there are certain ideologies he did agree with but those were his personal perspectives.
"I agree with the leadership. I totally respect Prime Minister Narendra Modi for certain decisions he has taken but that has got nothing to do with me sitting here today because this is me connecting with a person (Bommai)," the actor added.
Kichcha Sudeep hails from the Shivamogga district and belongs to the Valmiki Nayaka community, which is the largest tribe in the ST category in Karnataka.
Basavaraj Bommai said that the actor doesn't belong to any political party and said he had told Sudeep that even though he is not joining the BJP, his campaigning is "necessary".
"His support for me also means that he is supporting the party (BJP)," the Karnataka CM said.
"Sudeep's support gives big strength to BJP's campaign," Bommai said.
ಪತ್ರಿಕಾ ಗೋಷ್ಠಿ - Press Conference https://t.co/CjKYH4CbMz
— Basavaraj S Bommai (@BSBommai) April 5, 2023
Several reports had earlier claimed that the actor was likely to join the party on Wednesday.
Assembly elections in Karnataka are scheduled to be held on May 10. The counting of votes for the Karnataka Assembly has been scheduled on May 13.
Meanwhile, an alleged threat letter was received by Kichcha Sudeep's manager Jack Manju on Wednesday, following which a police case was registered.
According to the police, Sudeep's manager received a letter from an unknown person, threatening to release the actor's "private video" on social media.
