Resentment in Karnataka BJP over first list of Lok Sabha candidates

Some leaders have even hinted that they would switch over to Congress party since they are unhappy with the choice of candidates on some seats, the report said. 

The party has so far released names of candidates for 20 of the 28 parliamentary seats that the state has. The names were released in the second list of BJP on March 13.

Former Deputy Chief Minister KS Eshwarappa has revolted against the party, a news report by news agency PTI said. Eshwarappa is unhappy with former chief minister BS Yediyurappa after his son KE Kantesh did not feature in the March 13 list. Yediyurappa is also party’s parliamentary board member.

Dynastic Politics

Eshwarappa wanted the BJP to field his son Kantesh from the Haveri Lok Sabha seat. But the party fielded former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai from there. An upset, Eshwarappa has now announced that he would contest the elections from Shivamogga against Yediyurappa’s elder son B Y Vijayendra to protest the ‘dynastic politics’ in Karnataka.

“People and the workers are in favour of the BJP but the system here is bad. What is our Narendra Modi ji saying? The Congress party is in the hands of one family. Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi… the central Congress is being controlled by one family. Same situation in Karnataka. Karnataka’s BJP is in control of one family. We have to protest this,” Eshwarappa, 75, told PTI in an interview.

Also Read : Dropping sitting MPs, retaining old horses: Decoding BJP’s Karnataka plan for Lok Sabha 2024 polls

Eshwarappa alleged that even those standing in favour of Hindutva are being sidelined, be it C T Ravi, Pratap Simha, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal or Sadananda Gowda. “Under any circumstances, I will have to fight the election, which I will do,” he said .

Dropped Leaders Unhappy

Another senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda has also expressed a desire contest Lok Sabha polls and even hinted that he might consider joining the Congress. Gowda, who was initially reluctant to contest polls, said he will announce his decision during a press conference on March 20.

The saffron party has dropped nine members of parliament (MPs) from the state. Among the prominent leaders who have been dropped include four-time MP Gowda from Bangalore North, former state BJP unit Chief Nalin Kumar Kateel from Dakshina Kannada and Pratap Simha from Mysuru.

Similarly, in Koppal, two-time BJP MLA Karadi Sanganna is upset over being denied a ticket. The party has decided to field Dr Basavaraj Kyavator. The PTI report said that Sanganna is in touch with Congress leaders but no decision was taken yet.

The BJP has fielded V Somanna from Tumakuru, which has irked former Karnataka Minister J C Madhuswamy, who had expressed his displeasure.

Mission South

Congress-ruled Karnataka, which sends 28 members to Lok Sabha, is crucial considering the BJP’s 370-seat target and 400 seats of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). 

The party lost the Karnataka Assembly elections in 2023 to the Congress party. The state goes to polls in two phases, April 26 and May 7.

Also Read:  PM Narendra Modi gets emotional during Tamil Nadu rally, recalls ‘auditor’ Ramesh – Who is he?

Prime Minister Modi-led BJP has been trying hard to make inroads in the South, where the saffron party’s presence, except in Karnataka, has not been up to the mark ahead of Lok Sabha 2024 polls.

Of the 127 seats in five southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, and Union Territory Lakshadweep, the BJP could win only 29 in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Of these, 25 came from Karnataka and four from Telangana. The party drew a blank in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh in 2019.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Published: 20 Mar 2024, 07:22 AM IST