Will or won’t the Bharatiya Janata Party give ticket to MLAs facing charges? Even as the suspense continues, two aspirants from Kolar are already in campaign mode.
S.N. Krishnaiah Setty, who represents Malur in the Assembly, is facing charges in a fraudulent land deal case, and Y. Sampangi, who represents the Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) and was trapped by the Lokayukta while allegedly accepting bribe, are jittery over the reported fiat of senior party leaders, including L.K. Advani, that tainted MLAs should not be given party ticket. This, however, has not stopped either from preparing for campaigning. Mr. Setty announced recently that he would contest on a BJP ticket, without saying whether party State unit president Pralhad Joshi had given the green signal. While Mr. Setty said that he would soon begin campaigning, Mr. Sampangi and his followers have already made a start. Mr. Sampangi’s actions have drawn the ire of his detractors.
The former chairman of KGF Urban Development Authority Vikramadityan and taluk leader Naveenram have come out against Mr. Sampangi.
The BJP’s poor performance in the KGF City Municipal Council elections is also likely to be cited as a reason against giving Mr. Sampangi the ticket. Sensing the mood in the party, Mr. Sampangi’s supporters are persuading him to contest as an Independent if the party refuses him the ticket.
