Bengaluru South: Will Modi-Shah dump Tejaswini, go for a surprise choice?
Bengaluru: Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP National President Amit Shah go for a surprise choice for Bengaluru South Lok Sabha constituency rather than choosing Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, widow of Late Ananth Kumar, who was earlier considered an automatic choice ? Or will the PM himself decide to contest from a safe south Indian seat like Bengaluru South with conflicting reports doing the rounds in this regard?
Considered the safest seat for the BJP since 1991, Bengaluru South was represented by Dr K. Venkatagirigowda in 1991 and from 1996 to 2018, it was former Union Minister late Ananth Kumar who represented the constituency for six consecutive terms.
The omission of Tejaswini’s candidature for Bengaluru South in the BJP’s first list, came as a big surprise to state BJP and Sangh parivar leaders too. In fact, the BJP state election committee had sent only Tejaswini Ananth Kumar’s name to the Central Election committee for approval.
Sources in the BJP said that PM Modi and Mr Shah intend to field a new face in the Vokkaliga and Brahmin dominated constituency. According to these sources, the party central leadership might convince Rohini Nilekani, wife of Infoys co-founder Nandan Nilekani or request Dr. Sudha Murty, Chairperson of Infosys Foundation to contest from the seat.
When contacted, Lehar Singh, BJP MLC, who enjoys a close association with the PM and BJP President Amit Shah categorically said that “it is hundred percent unlikely that the Prime Minister will contest from Bengaluru South. “ I am hundred percent sure that the Prime Minister will not opt for a safe seat, he always prefer a challenging seat. He is not a politician like Congress leaders to prefer a safe seat, instead he may opt for a seat in states like Odisha, West Bengal or Kerala if he decides to contest from a second seat. What is the necessity for the PM to contest from a safe seat”, Mr Singh wondered. Mr Singh also said the BJP central leadership is unlikely to make an outsider contest from Bengaluru South.
Meanwhile on finding that Tejaswini did not figure in the first list, former Dy CM R.Ashok and former minister V.Somanna, both diehard supporters of late Ananth Kumar rushed to BJP State President B.S.Yeddyurappa’s residence on Friday and held a meeting with the party state chief. At the meeting, the leaders expressed their anxiety over the omission of Tejaswini from the first list and reportedly told Yeddyurappa that, if an outsider is given the ticket, it would send a wrong message to party workers as Tejaswini is actively campaigning in the constituency.
Yeddyurappa reportedly expressed his helplessness about the developments in Delhi. He said that it is not in his hands to prevail upon the central leadership and said it was upto the BJP top brass to take a call.
With no assurance coming from Yeddyurappa, both leaders left hurriedly from his Dollar’s Colony residence, but their body language clearly indicated that all is not well.
