Bengaluru: In a determined effort to counter the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking for strong candidates in South Karnataka where the coalition has a strong presence. In their sights are two former MLAs of the Congress, Cheluvarayaswamy and Magadi Balakrishna. BJP President Amit Shah has taken up the challenge to counter the Congress-JDS alliance and win at least 20 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, Mr Shah has assigned the task to state leaders to strengthen the party base in South Karnataka where there are a total 11 Lok Sabha seats of which the party had won 4 in 2014.
Of the remaining seven seats, the Congress had won five and the JD(S), two.
It is no doubt a challenging task for the BJP to strengthen its base in South Karnataka, especially in the Vokkaliga heartland and find strong and able candidates to face those of the coalition. Sources said that the central leadership has told former minister R. Ashok to poach able candidates from the JD(S) or Congress to contest in Old-Mysuru constituencies so that it can win 4-5 seats of the seven in this region.
Tumakuru, Chikkaballapura, Kolar, Bengaluru Rural, Mandya, Hassan and Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituencies are on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s target list. Mr. Ashok has already started talks with Congress leader Cheluvarayaswamy to field him from Mandya and is also holding talks with another Congress leader, Magadi Balakrishna to strengthen the party base in Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha seat. Both leaders had recently joined the Congress after deserting the JD(S) but both of them lost the Assembly elections from Nagamangala and Magadi respectively.
The forming of a coalition government with the JD(S) which they had deserted earlier in disgust, has made them uncomfortable as they feel the Congress may dump them at an opportune time to placate Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. The Bharatiya Janata Party feels both leaders are potential candidates for the coming Lok Sabha elections with winnability prospects. The party is also contemplating fielding former minister C.P. Yogeshwar from Bengaluru Rural, former minister B.N. Bachchegowda or his son from Chikkaballapura, D.S. Veeraiah from Kolar and BJP MLA, Preetham Gowda from Hassan, sources added.
