Udupi: Second innings - Raghupati Bhat to marry on Oct 9
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (UM)
Udupi, Oct 7: Raghupati Bhat, two-time former BJP MLA of Udupi, is all set for a second innings in life.
Bhat, who lost his first wife Padmapriya in 2008, will be tying the knot for a second time.
Announcing this to the media on Monday October 7 evening, Bhat said that he would be marrying Shilpa Shastry of Barkur at Karamballi Venkataramana Temple here on Wednesday October 9 at 8.20 am.
Shilpa is a divorcee. She was earlier married to the son of a retired assistant sub-inspector, sources said.
"There were doubts in the minds of people about my second marriage. Hence I have called this press meet to announce that I will be getting married on October 9. The marriage has been fixed with the consent of both families," he said.
"I have decided to take a break for the next two years and live a peaceful family life. I will continue to remain in politics, though not as actively as before," he added.
The wedding will be private, with only 50-100 close family and friends invited, he said.
Sources said that Shilpa is an employee at a cooperative bank. It is said that Raghupati Bhat first saw her at a function.
Born on February 24, 1969, Raghupati Bhat began his political career as a BJP member and went on to become district president of BJP Yuva Morcha, and in 2004 he was elected MLA of Udupi. He was re-elected in the 2008 Assembly elections and continued to hold the post until 2013. A controversy over a sleaze CD allegedly involving him forced him to withdraw from contesting in the 2013 Assembly polls. Controversy also surrounded him when his wife Padmapriya died an unnatural death in 2008. Bhat has two sons.