The list of 189 candidates announced by the BJP has its fair share of experimentation but is largely safe with its tried and tested candidates.
By deciding to field 52 new faces and give tickets to nearly a dozen sitting MLAs for the upcoming May 10 election, the BJP is also trying to try the famous ‘Gujarat model’. It also plans to give Karnataka voters a “fresh, new option” to choose from. As some state leaders put it, the party was trying to “remove the dead” and “bring in new petals” in the BJP’s lotus pond.
The candidates for the first time have been fielded largely in the old Mysore region, an area where the BJP is strategizing to win maximum seats as it has traditionally been a Congress-JDS bastion.
BJP’s David and Goliath candidates
In an effort to ensure a David and Goliath moment, the BJP has taken the unorthodox route of allowing two of its strongmen to stand from two different constituencies to fight against and defeat Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. BJP’s state in-charge Arun Singh introduced Somanna as the person from whom “Siddaramaiah would 100 per cent lose to Varuna”. Somanna will contest from Varuna and Chamarajanagar while Ashok will contest from Padmanabha Nagar and Kanakapura.
The BJP also tried to play it safe when it came to naming candidates supported by senior leader BS Yediyurappa, which included his son BY Vijayendra.
BSY had been insisting that Vijayendra be given the Shikaripura ticket, while it is learned that the BJP’s central leadership was keen on him taking on Siddaramaiah in Varuna. BSY is said to have convinced the leadership that Vijayendra’s victory was assured in Shikaripura, a seat from which BSY has won seven times in a row. Significantly, in the 2018 elections, BSY had asked for Varuna’s ticket for his younger son to contest against Siddaramaiah’s son Dr. Yatindra. However, in a last-minute decision, the BJP denied him the seat and fielded the relatively unknown T Basavaraju, who lost the election.
Insiders familiar with the selection process said several rounds of talks took place between the BJP’s state and central election committees to agree on names of candidates from the four lists, two by the central team and one each by the Yeddyurappa and BL Santosh teams. .
son rise
Though the BJP has taken a stand against ‘dynastic politics’ in several state and central elections, this time at least three sons of senior BJP leaders have been given tickets.
Vijayendra has been given the ticket after BSY announced his retirement from electoral politics. Nikhil Katti, son of Umesh Katti, who died in September last year, has been given the ticket from Hukkeri. Anand Singh, MLA from the newly formed district Vijayapura, had sought a ticket for his son Siddharth in his place.
Apart from the sons, the wives of the leaders have also been given tickets. Sudha Sivarame Gowda, wife of Sivarama Gowda, who represents Nagamangala constituency, has been given ticket from this seat. M Ratna Vishwanath Mamani, wife of late BJP MLA and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly Anand Mamani, has been nominated from the Saundatti-Yellamma constituency.
rebel (lion) controlled
Several candidates suggested by former CM Yediyurappa have been considered, which indicates that the BJP wanted to ensure that they do not upset the apple cart at a time when they are eagerly anticipating another term – This time with an absolute majority in his favour.
Having accommodated the names of all MLAs with former water resources minister Ramesh Jarkiholi – who led the rebellion of 17 Congress and JDS MLAs and jumped to the BJP – shows that the party has played safe even with the rebels.
Jarkiholi was pressurizing the state and the central team to reward all the rebel MLAs by giving them tickets even in this phase. In the first list, 12 of these leaders – including Pratap Gowda Patil, BC Patil, BA Basavaraju, Shivaram Hebbar, K Gopalaiah, Narayana Gowda, and MTB Nagaraj – have got tickets from the seats they currently represent.
The party has considered the names suggested by Jarkiholi to reduce the chances of rebellion, especially at a time when it is expected to cross the halfway mark of 112 seats and form a government on its own.
The fight for the Athani ticket was intense, with BJP factions led by Jarkiholi and former deputy CM Laxman Savadi creating a rift in the party. Jarkiholi was batting for his candidate Kumatihalli for the ticket. BJP sources said that despite Savadi realizing that he would be denied the ticket, the three-time MLA was adamant. Speculation in BJP circles indicates that a “deeply troubled” Savadi may quit the party and join the Congress.
“The list shows that the BJP wants to send a strong message that those facing corruption charges, as well as seniors who are nearing or have crossed the age of 75, should be removed to make way for new young candidates. Removed to make,” said one. Senior BJP functionaries after the list was announced.
sad veteran
KS Eshwarappa, a veteran BJP leader credited with helping bring the BJP to power in Karnataka along with BSY and late Ananth Kumar, sent a letter to JP Nadda announcing his retirement from electoral politics on the day the list was announced. Due to this, there were speculations in the political circles that the former Deputy CM was to be denied the ticket. Eshwarappa had sought a ticket for his son Kanthesh from the Shivamogga City seat. The candidate for this seat is yet to be announced and candidates for 35 other seats are pending.
Another senior leader and former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar is also fuming after he revealed that he had received a call from the high command asking him not to contest the upcoming elections.
A disappointed Shettar said that he would contest the election at any cost. The leader has been called to Delhi to meet Nadda and discuss the issue. Shettar, the MLA from Hubli Central seat, has also threatened to contest as an independent if he is not given a ticket. The candidate for the seat is yet to be decided.
Balancing the Caste Matrix
The party has also tried to balance the caste matrix by giving a good balance of representation between the majority communities and the weaker sections of the society. Most seats have been given to Lingayats (51), followed by Vokkaligas (41), OBCs (32), Scheduled Castes (30) and Scheduled Tribes (16).
With this, the BJP has tried to take the Congress by its horns as the latter has been building its electoral momentum by becoming a Hindu crusader. ‘Ahinda’ is a Kannada acronym coined by Devaraja Urs – who belonged to a minority community called Urs – for ‘Alpasankhyataru’ or minorities, ‘Hindulidavaru’ or backward classes, and ‘Dalitaru’ or Dalits. The term was revived by Siddaramaiah in the state to denote groups seen as Congress strongholds.
While the BJP has announced 52 new faces, nine sitting MLAs have not been given tickets. These are Shirhatti, Udupi, Ramadurga, Hosadurga, Sulia, Kundapura (where the sitting MLAs have retired), Kaup, Puttur, Belagavi North, Vijayanagar, Shikaripura. So far in the list of 189, there are 14 tickets for Panchamasalis. Last time, out of 224 seats, 15 Panchmasalis got tickets.
In comparison to the BJP, the Congress has also tried to balance the caste matrix by giving tickets to Lingayats 41, Vokkaligas 40, OBC communities 28, Scheduled Castes 20 and Scheduled Tribes 16 in the 166 seats declared so far. Now.
JDS has announced only one list with names of candidates for 93 seats out of total 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka.
battles worth watching
If Siddaramaiah is allotted another seat, Kolar, as he has been demanding, he will face BJP leader Varthur Prakash, who has vowed to “finish” Siddaramaiah.
In the Ramanagara seat, where Karnataka’s ruling BJP has announced that it will build a ‘magnificent’ Ram temple and make it the Ayodhya of the South, the party has fielded its state silk industries corporation chairman Gautam Gowda against JDS’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy. I have landed in leader HD Kumaraswamy
Former Karnataka Chief Minister and former BJP ally Kumaraswamy will once again contest against local heavyweight CP Yogeshwar, who has been given a BJP ticket.
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