Karnataka polls: Shettar warns BJP that denying him ticket could impact 20-25 seats

Former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar expressed his defiance when he was instructed by the BJP high command to withdraw his candidacy for the Hubli-Dharwad Central segment in the Assembly election. Shettar warned that denying him a ticket for the Karnataka polls could have an impact on at least 20 to 25 seats in the state.

Addressing reporters here, the senior BJP leader said he would wait for the party’s decision on the ticket till Sunday to decide his next course of action.

The BJP has not yet released the list of candidates for 12 constituencies, including Hubli-Dharwad Central.

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“I will wait till tomorrow and then I will decide my next course of action,” Shettar told reporters here on Friday night.

When questioned about the impact on the BJP for treating senior party functionaries in such a manner, he said the ruling dispensation has to think about it.

“The party has to ensure that it should not have any negative impact. Even former CM B S Yediyurappa has said that if Shettar does not get a ticket, then it will have a bearing not in just one place…it will have an immediate effect in many constituencies in north Karnataka — at least 20 to 25 constituencies,” Shettar said.

“It will indeed have an effect across Karnataka but the immediate impact will be seen in 20 to 25 constituencies,” he added.

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As some of the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation councillors offered to tender their resignation, the senior leader said he was grateful to them for showing their affection towards him.

“They (councillors) have expressed their displeasure. They are hurt. For them, it’s enough now. Their feelings are hurt so they are expressing their anger by resigning from the municipal corporation,” the former Karnataka Assembly speaker said.

Shettar added that that he will take note of the councillors’ opinion and then decide the next step.

To a query that some top BJP functionaries were confident of Shettar getting the ticket, he said he was aware of such statements but he wanted “the result”.

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Shettar held a press conference on April 11 (Tuesday), saying that he received a call from Delhi where a senior party functionary asked him to drop his candidature to make way for young people.

He said this was not acceptable to him and expressed his resolve to contest the election this time come what may.

The BJP has so far put out a list of 212 candidates for the Assembly election and has not yet announced the names of remaining 12 seats.

The 224-seat Assembly in Karnataka will go to polls on May 10 and the results are scheduled to come out on May 13.

(With agency inputs)