Bangalore: Ticket aspirants in BJP are keen to ride on the popularity of Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha elections, but their selection will depend on the outcome of a survey ordered by the party’s bigwigs in each of the 28 parliamentary constituencies.
Sources in the state unit of BJP told Deccan Chronicle that the top brass would not yield to persuasive methods of ticket-aspirants but field them only if they are found to be popular in their constituencies.
“Before finalizing the list of candidates, we get a feedback from party workers and secure the opinion of prominent persons in the constituency. Along with winability criteria, the party will also been factor in the popularity of each candidate in their respective Lok Sabha constituency. We will not give tickets to outsiders like the Congress’s plan to rope in individuals like Nandan Nilekani. We will give tickets to only party workers and those actively involved in the party”, the sources adding that the list would be drawn up by the end of January and dispatched to senior central leaders for approval.
Out of 18 MPs, four or five are unlikely to get tickets this time as they are facing an anti-incumbency factor and have not been in touch with party workers over the last five years, according to a senior BJP leader.
Meanwhile, with BJP leaders firm on fielding only local candidates, aspirants from outside the constituency are unlikely to be considered.
The upshot: Former Chief Minister D.V.Sadananda Gowda, former ministers Narayanaswamy, Basavaraj Patil Yatnal, and Aravinda Limbavali are unlikely to get tickets.
Though Gowda is keen to contest from Bangaluru (North), the leaders are likely to reject his application and consider him for Udupi-Chikmagalur.
BSY unlikely for BJP conclave
Bangalore: Former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa is unlikely to attend the three-day national executive and meeting of office bearers of BJP in New Delhi, the first major event since his return to the party, commencing on Thursday.
Strategies for the Lok Sabha polls would top the agenda during discussions by more than 10,000 representatives including MLAs, MLCs, members of city municipal corporations and municipal councils, said national general secretary Ananth Kumar. BJP workers would launch a campaign to popularize the slogan “Modi for PM.”
BJP, ‘KJP’ sing in unison: Jai Jigajinagi
Naushad Bijapur| DC
Belgaum: While supporters of former Chief Minister, B S Yeddyurappa are against the party fielding veteran and sitting MPs from North Karnataka and are suggesting it opt for new and fresh faces in the coming parliamentary elections, they are making an exception of three-time Bijapur BJP MP, Ramesh Jigajinagi.
At a recent meeting headed by Yeddyurappa who recently merged his breakaway outfit, KJP, with the saffron party, the BJP decided to field Jigajinagi from Bijapur, although he is one of the oldest politicians of the state having served as MLA from 1983 to 1998 and as an MP thrice in his long political career.
Jigajinagi confirmed the party's decision, saying, “Yeddyurappa is our leader and a party meeting held in his presence decided to give me the green signal.”
Besides the KJP , several top BJP are rallying behind Jigajinagi who is popular not only in Chikkodi constituency that he once represented but also in Bijapur parliamentary constituency.
Many of the KJP men support Jigajinagi because he has been loyal to Yeddyurappa ever since he joined the BJP following the death of former Chief Minister, Ramakrishna Hegde.
At a press conference he addressed in Bijapur on Wednesday, Jigajinagi hit out at former MLC, Prakash Rathod for “ misleading people” by claiming that he had never worked for the development of Bijapur and had merely taken the people for a ride.
“I learnt value-based politics from leaders like Ramakrishna Hegde and J.H. Patel. I don’t need to learn anything from a boy like Rathod . He should stop criticising others and try to assess whether he himself really worked for the district when he was MLC,'' Jigajinagi added.
