BJP fields 80 new faces amid riding dissension in party

Amid a rising threat of dissidence by unsuccessful party ticket aspirants, the BJP in Karnataka dropped nine MLA’s of the recently dissolved assembly and fielded 80 new faces in its first list of 163 candidates cleared for the coming Assembly polls.

The list cleared by the BJP’s Central Election Committee in New Delhi does include the names of nine former MLAs, who were openly hobnobbing with rival political parties.

The new faces, whose names were cleared for nomination by the party, includes new entrants like former Ministers Bachche Gowda and M Mahadev, retired Director General of Police L Revanasiddaiah, former MLC Basavaraj Bommai, who is also the son of former Chief Minister S R Bommai, son in law of former Chief Minister Veerendra Patil B J Jawali, besides Sanjay Kheny, a close relative of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Ashok Kheny.

The BJP has also decided to field sitting MLCs Shobha Karandlaje and Aravind Limbavali from assembly segments in Bangalore, much to the disgruntlement of other party hopefuls.

The ticket aspirants, who were upset with the party’s choice in several constituencies, staged a demonstration in front of BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa’s residence in Bangalore.

Meanwhile, speculation was rife in the BJP that the list cleared in New Delhi had underwent several changes from the one prepared in Bangalore. Several candidates recommended by Yeddyurappa are rumoured to have been dropped by the party’s national leadership at the behest of Yeddyurappa’s bete-noire and former Federal Minister Ananthkumar.

Elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly are scheduled to be held in three phases on May 10, 16 and 22. The BJP has not announced its candidates for the remaining seats as it was anticipating a tie-up with JD (U).
Ananthkumar said the BJP was hopeful of a tie-up with the JD (U). “We have not fielded candidates in constituencies, where the JD (U) is strong”, he said.