The ruling BJP on Tuesday released the first list of 189 candidates for the May 10 Karnataka elections, fielding CM Basavaraj Bommai from his current Shiggaon seat and ex-CM BS Yediyurappa’s son BY Vijayendra from Shikaripura, the seat Yediyurappa holds.
Yediyurappa has already announced retirement from electoral politics. The BJP has fielded Karnataka Housing and Infrastructure Development Minister V Somanna against Congress CM-hopeful Siddharamaiah in Varuna and Revenue Minister R Ashok against Congress Karnataka president DK Shivakumar in Kanakpura. Somanna will also contest from another seat, with the party hopeful of defeating Siddharamaiah who won from Varuna by a slim margin in 2018.
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Importantly, the list features 52 newcomers, indicating many sitting MLAs would have been dropped though the numbers would become clear once all 224 names are announced. “The BJP list represents freshness. We have fielded 52 first-timers to give Karnataka the youthful energy it deserves,” BJP’s Karnataka election in-charge and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said. The analysis reveals the list features 32 OBC candidates, 30 SCs and 16 STs.
In a major development, the party fielded a majority of the 17 turncoats who had switched over in 2019, leading to the fall of the Congress-JD(S) coalition and the installation of the BJP government. Defectors who had subsequently won the 2019 bypoll and have again secured BJP ticket include Mahesh Kumathalli (Athani), Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak), Shivram Hebbar (Yellapur), BC Patil (Hirekerur), Health Minister K Sudhakar (Chikkaballapura), minister K Gopalaiah, (Mahalakshmi Layout), minister MTB Nagaraj from Hoskote and KC Narayana Gowda (KR Pet).
Even as the list was out, the BJP faced its first major rebellion with former CM Jagadish Shettar defying the party’s instructions to step down and announcing he would contest from Hubbali-Dharwad Central “at any cost”. Shettar said he had asked the party to reconsider the diktat of opting out in favour of a newcomer.
Although the BJP has withheld the announcement of Hubbali-Dharwad Central candidate, Pradhan said the party was confident of convincing Shettar to step down.
Former Karnataka Deputy CM KS Eshwarappa today wrote to BJP chief JP Nadda announcing retirement from electoral politics, as instructed by the party. In today’s list, the BJP, however, did not field Eshwarappa’s son KE Kantest from Ranibennur, a seat the former Deputy CM had sought for his son.
52 first-timers; many MLAs may lose ticket
List has 52 newcomers, indicating many MLAs may be dropped
Thirty-two OBC candidates, 30 SCs, 16 STs and 8 women fielded
Former Deputy CM KS Eshwarappa retires from electoral politics
Ex-CM defies diktat, to fight at any cost
Utterly disappointed… have given over 30 years to the BJP. Could have been intimated 2-3 months in advance. I will fight at any cost. — Jagadish Shettar, former CM
