Perhaps considered an influential bjp leader from the kuruba community (OBC), Eshwarappa has served multiple times as minister in all the Yediyurappa led bjp governments in the southern state. On april 14, 2022, he was forced to resign from his position as Rural Development and panchayati Raj minister after a major controversy broke out over his alleged role in the suicide of a public works contractor, Santhosh Patil. Patil had, in his suicide note, alleged that the minister was responsible for his death. A year after, he announced his retirement from electoral politics.

Eshwarappa felt the need to come back from his retirement and contest elections. He said that there are many leaders in the bjp who are pained with the way ‘one political family’ is taking all the crucial calls. The leader went on to make an emotional appeal to the bjp cadre where he asked them to ensure the bjp wins in the lok sabha elections 2024. Eshwarappa said “My heart is with bjp, my fight is against the dynasts. There is anger amongst the backward classes, especially the Kurubas, the community I belong to. Yediyurappa has not given a single seat to us. I request all those who are upset with the dynastic politics of BSY, they should express it openly, but at no point cause the defeat of the bjp in Karnataka”.

Karnataka bjp state president, BY Vijayendra, who stated that the ‘Eswarappa issue will end soon’, went on to say that lok sabha polls will make it clear whether Yediyurappa, who cycled across the state to strengthen the bjp, has been the force behind the bjp or the one ‘strangling it to death’. “If Vijayendra tries to reach out to me to try and resolve the issue, I will point blank ask him not to meet me,” Eshwarappa responded when asked if the bjp state president had reached out to him. On a question as to whether he would retract his decision if he receives a call from PM Modi himself to try and convince him to withdraw his decision to contest alone, Eshwarappa quipped, “I will list out the problems threadbare in front of him.”