Udupi: Former minister Jayaprakash Hegde said he is preparing to contest in the forthcoming Assembly elections. 

Hegde told reporters in Udupi on Friday that his followers were compelling him to contest. His tenure as the chairman of State Backward Classes Commission ends in November, 2023.

He said people had approached him with problems but he had limited powers. If he becomes an MLA, he will be able to sort out the problems.

He said he was not keen on contesting elections with tickets from other political parties. ‘’Earlier, I was able to win the elections even as an independent candidate. But it is not possible in the present situation as the elections have become too expensive,’’ he said.