The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday released a list of 20 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. The list, released by the party’s Central Election Committee in Delhi, has 12 incumbent MPs, while four have been replaced.
The prominent candidates include the former Chief Ministers B.S. Yeddyurappa — who has been preferred over his son and current MP B.Y. Raghavendra, from Shimoga — and D.V. Sadananda Gowda, who has been fielded from the Bangalore North constituency, ignoring the incumbent MP D.B. Chandre Gowda and other prominent aspirants.
BJP national general secretary and five-time MP Ananth Kumar will seek re-election from Bangalore South, while BJP State unit president Pralhad Joshi will contest again from Dharwad.
The first list does not include the names of constituencies where selection of candidates has become tricky. Mysore and Udupi–Chikmagalur seats, which are witnessing a tough competition among aspirants, are not part of the first list. Similarly, the Bellary seat, where the party is expected to field the former Minister B. Sriramulu after re-inducting him into its fold, has also been kept out of the list. However, there are indications of heartburn turning into rebellion as Koppal MP Shivaramagouda, who has not been given ticket to re-contest, has threatened to take a call on his future political moves. Mr. Shivaramagouda, who had won by a margin of about 80,000 votes in the previous polls, told The Hindu that he was upset over not getting the ticket. However, sources sought to underplay his dissatisfaction and said they had strictly gone by their district unit’s recommendation. The party has also denied ticket to Raichur MP Phakirappa, a relative of Mr. Sriramulu. Sources said Mr. Sriramulu had been taken into confidence while making this decision.
The names of other candidates are: Ramesh V. Katti (Chikkodi), Suresh C. Angadi (Belgaum), P.C. Gaddigoudar (Bagalkot), Ramesh C. Jigajinagi (Bijapur), Revu Naik Belamagi (Gulbarga), K. Shivanagouda Naik (Raichur), Sanganna A. Karadi (Koppal), Shivakumar Udasi (Haveri), Anant Kumar Hegde (Uttara Kannada), G.M. Siddeshwara (Davangere), Nalin Kumar Kateel (Dakshina Kannada), Janardhana Swamy (Chitradurga), A.R. Krishnamurthy (Chamarajanagar), P. Muniraju Gowda (Bangalore Rural), P.C. Mohan (Bangalore Central), and B.N. Bache Gowda (Chickballapur).
