The Karnataka Lokayukta on Saturday caught Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Shirahatti MLA Dr Chandru Lamani red-handed while allegedly accepting a bribe from a contractor, officials said. Dr Chandru Lamani The MLA, along with his personal assistants Manjunath Valmiki and Gurunayak, was subsequently arrested and is being currently interrogated, they added. According to officials, Lamani allegedly demanded a sum of ₹11 lakh as commission from Class-1 contractor Vijay Poojar to award a ₹1 crore roadside retaining wall construction project. Unwilling to pay the bribe, Poojar approached the Lokayukta and filed a formal complaint. Officials said an audio recording had surfaced two days earlier in which Lamani was purportedly heard demanding money. “We had secured audio evidence indicating a demand for illegal gratification. Based on that, an FIR was registered and a trap was planned,” Lokayukta SP Siddalingappa said. “The accused were apprehended while accepting the advance amount. Further investigation is in progress,” the officer added. Reacting to the development, State Contractors’ Association president Manjunath said, “Elected representatives should not indulge in such practices. This action proves …