Karnataka BJP leaders are also said to have expressed support to fielding Basavaraj Bommai’s son Bharat Bommai’s from Shiggaon.
Published Aug 31, 2024 | 11:45 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 31, 2024 | 1:53 PM
BJP likely to bypass B Sriramulu in Sandur. (Supplied)
The NDA alliance in Karnataka— BJP and JD(S)— is finalising candidates for bypolls in Shiggaon, Channapatana and Sandur (ST) assembly seats. Sources indicated that senior ST leader and former Deputy Chief Minister B Sriramulu may potentially be sidelined. Sriramulu is eyeing another chance after two consecutive defeats recently. It is believed that the BJP and JD (S) leaders are looking for a fresh face to field in Sandur (ST) seat.
The BJP’s state unit leaders led by Karnataka Legislative Assembly’s opposition leader R Ashoka met the party’s high command including party president and Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers JP Nadda to discuss the probable candidates for the forthcoming bypolls for the three assembly seats. NDA camp is said to have finalised the candidates for the two assembly seats— Channapatana, and Shiggaon.
ದೆಹಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ @JPNadda ಅವರನ್ನು ಭೇಟಿ ಮಾಡಿ ಮಾತುಕತೆ ನಡೆಸಲಾಯಿತು.
ಈ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಧಾನಸಭೆಯ ವಿರೋಧ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಉಪನಾಯಕರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ @BelladArvind ,ಮಾಜಿ ಉಪಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿಗಳಾದ ಶ್ರೀ @drashwathcn , ಮಾಜಿ ಸಚಿವರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ಸಿ ಪಿ ಯೊಗೇಶ್ವರ್ ಉಪಸ್ಥಿತರಿದ್ದರು. pic.twitter.com/yOPoyL08Pj
— R. Ashoka (@RAshokaBJP) August 30, 2024
The assembly bypolls were necessitated as the three sitting MLAs from BJP, JD (S) and Congress respectively— Basavaraj Bommai, HD Kumaraswamy, and E Tukaram resigned after winning the Haveri-Gadag, Mandya, and Bellari Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 general elections.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is expected to announce the dates for these three assembly by-polls in Karnataka along with the upcoming Maharashtra and other state assembly elections.
According to the sources, despite Sriramulu’s name making the rounds for the Sandur (ST) bypolls, the BJP is said to be in search of a potential fresh face to fight against the ruling Congress in Karnataka.
In the 2023 assembly polls, Congress’ E Tukaram won for the fourth consecutive election from Sandur (ST). He defeated the BJP nominee Shilpa Raghavendra by a margin of 35,522 votes.
However, Tukaram contested as the Congress’ nominee from the Ballari (ST) constituency in the 2024 parliament elections and emerged victorious against the BJP’s Sriramulu. Following the victory, Tukaram tendered his resignation from his Sandur assembly seat, necessitating the bypolls.
On anonymity, a senior MLA told South First: “We met the party high command to discuss the potential candidates for the upcoming assembly bypolls. In Sandur, the high command is keen on fielding new faces instead of senior leaders like Sriramulu.”
“Sriramulu will not be considered despite him being a senior ST leader. The party is not keen on fielding him, considering his debacle in the assembly and parliament elections,” the legislator said, denying the talks of fielding KS Divakar, who is also one of the aspirants for the ticket.
It may also be recalled, that BJP’s former Deputy Chief Minister Sriramulu lost against Congress’ B Nagendra from the Ballari Rural (ST) segment in the 2023 assembly polls. He also lost against Tukaram in the parliamentary elections from the Ballari (ST) constituency.
On Friday, 30 August, the BJP unit is said to have proposed MLC CP Yogeshwara’s name for the Channapatna assembly segment.
Following the meeting with the party high command, the state unit leaders – in the presence of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and Minister for State V Somanna – held a meeting with JD(S) state president and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy regarding the Channapatna’s candidature at Delhi.
Before meeting the party president, LoP Ashoka told reporters in Delhi that the state unit is demanding all three seats for the BJP in the assembly bypolls. “We are demanding three seats for the BJP. We are confident of winning all the three seats,” Ashoka added that it is his maiden meeting with the party’s high command after being appointed as the opposition leader in the legislative assembly.
On anonymity, a senior MLA, who accompanied R Ashoka during the meeting, told South First: “We met the party high command to convey that CP Yogeshwar is the efficient candidate and at present, the wave is in his favour in Channapatna. We asked the party to field him as the NDA’s face.”
“We had a meeting with Kumaraswamy as well on the matter in Delhi. He indicated openness in the candidate selection for the Channapatna seat. He had no qualms on our proposal for the Channapatna seat,” he added.
The MLA further said that Kumaraswamy assured of working towards ensuring NDA candidates victory in the bypolls.
In the same meeting, the state unit leaders are also said to have expressed keenness on fielding former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s son Bharat Bommai’s from Shiggaon assembly constituency.
With this, the third generation from the Bommai family is all likely to make a debut in electoral politics in the forthcoming assembly bypolls.
With regard to the other two seats, the senior MLA said: “Bommai’s son Bharat Bommai is all likely to make his debut from the Shiggaon segment in the upcoming assembly bypolls. As there is no other potential candidate in this constituency.”
“In Sandur (ST), the party high command is planning to field fresh face instead of senior leaders. Sri Ramulu will not be considered,” clarified the BJP legislator.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)
