Karnataka: Discontent brews in Karnataka BJP after 9 MPs get the boot

Discontent is brewing in the Karnataka BJP as nine sitting Members of Parliament did not find their names in the party’s second list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections declared on Wednesday (March 13).

Of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the party has declared names for 20. And party sources say things are not promising for the sitting MPs in some of the remaining constituencies, too. In Raichur, Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Chitradurga and Chikkaballapura, too, there is every chance of the sitting MPs losing their opportunity to contest, party insiders say.

There have even been talks of three sitting BJP MPs joining Congress. According to Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar, “three sitting BJP MPs have expressed their desire to join the Congress. However, their names cannot be revealed at this juncture”.

Disappointed leaders

Among the MPs who have been denied tickets are Karadi Sanganna of Koppala, DV Sadananda Gowda of Bangalore North, Pratap Simha of Mysore-Kodagu, and Y Devendrappa of Bellary.

KS Eshwarappa, who sought a ticket for his son KE Kantesh from the Haveri constituency, is quite upset. So is Jagadish Shettar, who had sought a poll ticket from the Dharwad constituency. The party opted for Pralhad Joshi, the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, instead.

Nalin Kumar Kateel, former president of Karnataka BJP, also appears to be upset after being denied a poll ticket. However, only Eshwarappa and Karadi have expressed their discontent in public.

New faces upset old-timers’ apple cart

There are five new faces in the BJP list of 20 candidates. They include Dr CN Manjunath from Bangalore Rural, Yaduveera Krishnadutta Chamaraja Wadiyar from Mysore-Kodagu, Captain Brijesh Chowta from Dakshina Kannada, Gayathri Siddeswhar from Davangere, and Dr K Basavaraj from Koppal.

Pratap Simha, who lost the race to Mysuru royal family scion Yaduveera, seems to have compromised with the situation and extended his support to the party candidate. After criticizing Yaduveer two days ago, Simha is now singing paeans in his praise. Kateel, who lost the ticket to Captain Chowta, also said he would work for the party candidate and serve the party as an ordinary worker.

Former chief minister Shettar, who rejoined the BJP after quitting the Congress, was an aspirant for the Dharwad seat, which has gone to Pralhad Joshi. It is rumoured that Shettar may get the ticket from Belagavi, but he is in no mood to contest from the stronghold of the Jarkiholi brothers.

As Independents?

Eshwarappa is breathing fire against the party’s Karnataka leaders, especially BS Yediyurappa. Addressing the media on Wednesday, he said Yediyurappa had failed to keep his promise and been partisan.

He claimed that he was under pressure from his followers to contest from Shivamogga against Yediyurappa’s son and BJP candidate BY Raghavendra, as an Independent. Eshwarappa said he had convened a meeting of his followers and well-wishers on Friday after which he will take a final call on contesting as an Independent.

Similarly, Karadi, who lost the Koppal ticket to K Basavaraj, is being urged by his followers to contest as an Independent. Karadi, too, told the media that he would convene a meeting of his followers and take a decision.

Negative campaigns fail

In Tumkur, BJP workers and leaders, especially J C Madhuswamy, who opposed the candidature of V Somanna, are upset because the party ultimately went with the latter. Somanna was expected to contest the Tumkur seat on a JD(S) ticket, but the party finally decided against taking a risk and fielded him as a party candidate.

Another upset leader is former BJP national general secretary CT Ravi. His alleged campaign against sitting MP Kumari Shobha Karandlaje has failed, as she has been shifted to Bangalore North instead of Udupi-Chikmagalur. But he has not aired any discontent in public.

While Kota Srinivasa Poojari, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, replaces Karandlaje in Udupi-Chikmagalur, Karandlaje replaces Sadananda Gowda in Bangalore North. Gowda, too, has not spoken out against the party but expressed his gratitude to it for giving him the opportunity to serve as a chief minister (2011-12), a central minister, and an MP for years.

MPs who made it

On the other hand, the choice of sitting MP Ramesh Jigajinagi for Vijayapura also surprised party workers because of his advanced age and failing health.

The other nine sitting MPs who have made it to the first list are Anna Saheb Jolle (Chikodi), PC Gaddigowdar (Bagalkot), Dr Umesh Jadhav (Kalaburagi), Bhagavant Khuba (Bidar), Prahlad Joshi (Dharwad), BY Raghavendra (Shivamogga), Shobha Karandlaje (Bangalore North), PC Mohan (Bangalore Central), and Tejaswi Surya (Bangalore South).