Mangalore: The BJP is likely to field former Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda from Udupi-Chikmagalur and sitting MP, Naleen Kumar Patil from Dakshina Kannada in the coming parliamentary elections, according to party sources.
Both men had won from these constituencies in the 2009 parliamentary election, but Gowda quit his seat after becoming Chief Minister in 2011 and the Congress won from the constituency in the ensuing by- election.
Optimistic about the BJP coming to power at the Centre, the saffron party now wants to wrest the Udupi -Chikmagalur seat from the Congress and also field strong candidates in the state to strengthen its position in Parliament.
While Gowda himself admitted during a visit to Udupi on Wednesday that he was keen on contesting from the constituency, a senior BJP leader too believes he is almost certain to get the ticket.
“Although C.T. Ravi’s name is doing the rounds for Udupi-Chikamgalur , DVS is the most likely choice. The party would prefer fielding him to Ravi as he is a familiar face here and developed the constituency when he was CM,” he said.
But Sadananda Gowda is not everyone’s choice as some BJP leaders in Udupi feel he hasn’t done enough for the district. The party reportedly wants to play it safe in Dakshina Kannada district by fielding its sitting MP, Naleen Kumar Patil
“There are no allegations or complaints against him and and he is also the blue eyed boy of RSS leader, Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat,” say party sources.
