Udupi: Lakshmivara Theertha Swamiji of Shiroor Mutt hasn’t been spotted in public after he withdrew his nomination on April 27.

The seer has everybody confused. In the early stages of the assembly elections, he supported Congress MLA Pramod Madhwaraj in Udupi constituency. Then, he proceeded to demand a ticket from BJP, claiming that leaders here are not capable of ruling.

When his request was denied, he filed his nomination as an independent and claimed he wouldn’t withdraw the nomination. However, he withdrew from the polls later. He’s now silently campaigning for the BJP candidate.

The seer says that he isn’t supporting local candidates. “My intention is to help Modi win. I attended Modi’s programme in Udupi.”

Talking on him favoring BJP over Congress, he said, “I want Karnataka to have a BJP government. I believe that under the BJP government (and leadership of Modi and Amit Shah), the state can see development. I also know that under the BJP government, we can complete the Ram Mandir project and the Krishna Mutt will see great support and development.”

“Under Pramod Madhwaraj as MLA, development is happening but it’s not reaching people down the line. I keep getting complaints from the public of not having shelter, water and connectivity problems. I extend my help, but I have limitations. It’s the government’s job and government representatives should take care of it. I’ll convince my devotees and people associated with me to vote for BJP.”

When asked if it was Ragupathi Bhat who met to convince him to withdraw from the elections, he said, “Though he planned to meet me, it hasn’t happened as both of us are busy with our work.”

He said that he is currently looking into the restrictions of the Election Commission and is therefore working silently. “On Monday, I’ll attend a meeting organized by Sukumar Shetty, BJP candidate from Byndoor constituency.”