Bengaluru: The BJP list of candidates for the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka is slowly taking shape with party state president B.S.Yeddyurappa assuring tickets to 16 sitting MPs and the state leadership shortlisting probables for the remaining 12 constituencies though the high command is yet to give its nod.
Notwithstanding the resentment among the party cadre about giving tickets to a few sitting MPs, Mr Yeddyurappa has reportedly assured tickets to the sitting MPs, said sources. With regard to the party candidate for the Mandya Lok Sabha seat, the BJP is keeping its options open. Mr Yeddyurappa has promised the ticket to Dr Siddaramaiah, a retired commercial tax officer who took on sitting Mandya MP Shivaramegowda in the November LS bypoll but lost. If actress Sumalatha Ambareesh contests as an Independent, the BJP will support her and may prefer not to field a candidate, sources said.
For Hassan, Mr. Yeddyurappa has made up his mind to field former Congress minister A. Manju against JD(S)- Congress candidate Prajwal Revanna. Sources in the party said that the leadership has given the green signal to induct Mr Manju into the party fold.
The sitting MPS who are set to be renominated unless there are last minute hiccups are: Bengaluru North- D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Bengaluru Central- P.C. Mohan Mysuru-Kodagu- Pratap Simha, Dakshina Kannada- Nalin Kumar Kateel, Udupi-Chikamagaluru- Shobha Karandlaje, Uttara Kannada- Ananthkumar Hegde, Shivamogga- B.Y. Raghavendra, Davangere- G.M. Siddeshwara, Hubballi-Dharwad- Pralhad Joshi, Haveri- Shivakumar Udasi, Koppal- Karadi Sanganna, Bidar-Bhagvanth Khuba, Belagavi- Suresh Angadi, Bagalkote- Gaddigowdar and Vijayapura- Ramesh Jigajinagi. For Bengaluru South, Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, widow of former Union Minister late Ananth Kumar will be given the ticket.
The party's district election committees have sent the names of probables for the remaining 12 Lok Sabha constituencies to the state election committee. These seats are currently held by Congress and JD(S) MPs. The probables are: Tumakuru- G.S. Basavaraj, Bengaluru Rural- C.P. Yogeshwar or Tulasi Muniraju, Chamarajanagar- V. Srinivas Prasad or K. Shivaram, Hassan- A. Manju, Kolar- D.S.Veeraiah, Chitradurga- Manappa Vajjal or Janardhana Swamy, Ballari- Nagendra or J.Shanta, Raichur- Tipparaju Hawaldar, Sanna Fakirappa or Gangadhar Nayak, Kalaburagi- Umesh Jadhav, Chikkodi- Ramesh Katti and Chikkaballapura- B.N. Bachegowda or Sharath Bachegowda. For the Mandya Lok Sabha, the BJP may support Sumalatha Ambareesh if she contest as an Independent.
Though Mr Yeddyurappa has stated that all sitting MPs will get tickets, state leaders including a few core committee members feel that going by the survey conducted through the NaMo App, a few MPs may not make it. The BJP central election committee headed by Union Minister J.P.Nadda will take a final call in this regard, said a senior leader. Aiming to win 22 seats, the BJP has decided to field strong candidates in Bengaluru Rural, Ballari, Chitradurga, Raichur and Kalaburgi, said sources.
