Shivamogga candidate selection remains tricky for BJP

The issue of candidate selection in Shivamogga district for the upcoming Assembly elections seems to be becoming a thorny issue again.

Speaking to presspersons on Saturday, K.S. Eshwarappa, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, said party national president Amit Shah has made it clear that the central leadership would take a call on candidature after conducting surveys in all the 224 Assembly segments. “Any announcement on candidature made prior to the formal release of the list by the central leadership is not valid,” he said.

This comes days after and BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappa, during his visit to Shivamogga city, said that the party would field former Ministers Kumar Bangarappa and H. Halappa from Sorab and Sagar Assembly segments, respectively, and that the party’s central leadership would finalise the candidate for Shivamogga segment in 15 days.

Following this announcement, supporters of two-time MLA Belur Gopalakrishna had staged protests demanding that the party provide an opportunity for their leader to contest from Sagar. In fact, the selection of candidate for Shivamogga segment has also proved to be a tricky affair as Mr. Eshwarappa and S. Rudre Gowda, president of the party’s district unit and a staunch follower of Mr. Yeddyurappa, are the aspirants here.

Earlier, Mr. Eshwarappa had opposed Mr. Yeddyurappa naming his supporters as candidates during the recent Parivartana Yatre rallies of the BJP. He had said such announcements would result in unnecessary confusions among party workers.