BJP drops Nalin Kateel, Pratap Simha; replaces 10 MPs in Karnataka Lok Sabha candidate list

In an anticipated move, the BJP chose erstwhile Mysuru royal family scion Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar over two-time MP Pratap Simha for the Mysuru seat. Simha is said to be upset over the development.

Pratap Simha had come under fire after it was revealed that intruders, who set off gas canisters in Parliament in a grave security breach, had obtained passes from his office.

Following protests from party workers, Union minister Shobha Karandlaje has been moved to Bangalore North from her incumbent Udupi-Chikkamagaluru seat.

The BJP is yet to announce nominees for Belagavi, Raichur, Chitradurga, Chikkaballapur, and Uttara Kannada. Three more seats are slated to be offered to JD(S) in the seat-sharing arrangement.

In the second list of candidates for the #LokSabhaElections, @BJP4India has declared candidates for 20 constituencies in #Karnataka.

Changes have been made in as many as eleven seats.

New faces in the following seats:

Koppal – Dr Basavaraj Kyavator
Bellary (ST) – B Sriamulu… pic.twitter.com/5e5vKIKBSz

— South First (@TheSouthfirst) March 13, 2024

Also Read: Kumaraswamy says BJP allocated 3 seats to JD(S) in Karnataka

New candidates in 10 seats

In the Koppal constituency, Dr Basavaraj Kyavator — a medical professional and the son of former Kushtagi MLA K Sharanappa — has been nominated by the BJP.

Kyavator, stepping into the political arena, replaces incumbent MP Karadi Sanganna, who represented the segment for two consecutive terms.

For the Bellary (ST) seat, the BJP has picked B Sriramulu, a seasoned leader from the Valmiki community and a former deputy chief minister.

Sriamulu, who lost in the 2023 Assembly polls from Bellary Rural, succeeds Y Devendrappa. Sriramulu represented the Lok Sabha seat in 2014.

The Haveri constituency will see former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai as the BJP candidature. Bommai, who is already an MLA from the Shiggaon seat in the 2023 Assembly elections, takes over from sitting MP Shivakumar Udasi, who has withdrawn from electoral politics.

The Davanagere constituency sees a transition as Gayathri Siddeshwara, wife of incumbent MP GM Siddeshwar, steps into the political fray. She replaces her husband to represent the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency witnesses the nomination of MLC Kota Srinivas Poojary, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Karnataka Legislative Council. Poojary replaces sitting MP and Union minister Shobha Karandlaje.

The Dakshina Kannada constituency has Capt Brijesh Chowta — a retired army personnel — as the BJP’s nominee.

Chowta succeeds former Karnataka BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel, who represented the constituency for three successive terms since 2009.

The Tumakuru constituency witnesses a significant shift as V Somanna, a senior leader from the Lingayat community, is nominated by the BJP.

Somanna replaces sitting MP GS Basavaraj. Somanna had lost from Chamarajanagar and Varuna in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls.

In the Mysuru constituency, the BJP nominates Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, a scion of the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru.

Wadiyar has replaced incumbent MP Pratap Simha, who represented the seat for two consecutive terms.

The Chamarajanagar (SC) constituency will see S Balaraj as BJP candidate. He joined the saffron party after being denied a ticket by the Congress in the Assembly elections.

For the Bangalore Rural constituency, the BJP nominated Dr CN Manjunath, a noted cardiologist and the son-in-law of JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. He joined the BJP the same day the party announced his candidature. The seat is currently held by Congress MP DK Suresh, brother of Karnataka deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.

Also Read: BJP ire over MP Pratap Simha’s tirade against Mysuru royal

The other candidates

In a significant development, the BJP high command retained candidates in several Lok Sabha seats.

Among those who have successfully secured their candidature are familiar names in the political arena.

Annasaheb Jolle from Chikkodi, PC Gaddigoudar from Bagalkot, and six-time MP Ramesh Jigajinagi from Bijapur (SC) are among the notable figures who have been fielded from their seats.

Dr Umesh Jhadav from Gulbarga (SC), Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Bhagwanth Khuba of Bidar, and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi from Dharwad, who representing the seat since 2004, have also been reaffirmed as the chosen candidates by the BJP high command.

The other sitting MPs, BY Raghavendra, PC Mohan, and Tejasvi Surya, have been fielded from Shimoga, Bangalore Central, and Bangalore South, respectively.

BY Raghavendra is the brother of BJP Karnataka state unit President BY Vijayendra and son of BJP Parliamentary board member and former CM BS Yediyurappa.

BJP has declared MoS agriculture Shobha Karandlaje as candidate for the Bangalore North constituency.

R Ashoka wishes candidates

Following the BJP’s second-list announcement, Karnataka Legislative Assembly’s (LoP) R Ashoka extended wishes to all the candidates.

In his post on X, Ashoka said: “Heartly congratulations to all those who have got the chance to be our party’s nominee for the Lok Sabha elections from the state….”

He added: “It is a great privilege to represent Karnataka in the parliament at this auspicious time when our country is taking bold steps towards emerging as a developed India under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi.”

Ashoka also said: “Let us empower Karnataka in a big way to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of the country as desired by billions of Indians. Let us work hard to make lotus blossom in all the 28 seats in the state.”

ಇಂದು ಬಿಡುಗಡೆಯಾಗಿರುವ ಎರಡನೇ ಪಟ್ಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜ್ಯದಿಂದ ಲೋಕಸಭಾ ಚುನಾವಣೆಗೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಗಳಾಗಲು ಅವಕಾಶ ಪಡೆದಿರುವ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಹೃತ್ಪೂರ್ವಕ ಅಭಿನಂದನೆಗಳು.

ಪ್ರಧಾನಿ ಶ್ರೀ @narendramodi ಅವರ ನಾಯಕತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಕಸಿತ ಭಾರತವಾಗಿ ಹೊರಹೊಮ್ಮುವತ್ತ ನಮ್ಮ ದೇಶ ದಿಟ್ಟ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆಗಳನ್ನು ಇಡುತ್ತಿರುವ ಈ ಅಮೃತ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಸತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ…

— R. Ashoka (ಮೋದಿ ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಬ) (@RAshokaBJP) March 13, 2024

(Edited by Arkadev Ghoshal)