The Bharatiya Janata Party’s first list of 20 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka has upset some top leaders. Sadananda Gowda, KS Eshwarappa and Karadi Sanganna are among leaders miffed with the party leadership.
Former Union minister Sadananda Gowda, who in a social media post had announced his retirement from electoral politics before being denied a ticket from Bangalore North, took a U-turn and said there is pressure on him to contest elections.
Gowda, a Vokkaliga leader, has also hinted at joining Congress and will announce his decision on Wednesday. The BJP has fielded Union minister Shobha Karandlaje from Bangalore North, which he represented.
“Congress people have asked me, also BJP, what decision has to be taken, I will decide at the appropriate time,” Gowda was quoted by PTI as saying.
KS Eshwarappa accuses BSY of ‘cheating’
Former deputy chief minister KS Eshwarappa is another senior BJP leader who is angry over his son KE Kantesh not being given ticket from Haveri. The party has fielded former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai from the constituency.
Eshwarappa has blamed none other than Lingayat strongman and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa for the ticket snub to his son. He has already declared his plan to contest as an independent against Yediyurappa’s son BY Raghavendra from Shivamogga.
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“People and the workers are in favour of the BJP but the system here is bad. What is our Narendra Modi ji saying? The Congress party is in the hands of one family. Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi… the central Congress is being controlled by one family. Same situation in Karnataka. Karnataka’s BJP is in control of one family. We have to protest this,” Eshwarappa told PTI on Tuesday.
Karadi Sanganna, a two-time BJP MP from Koppal, is also miffed over being denied a ticket from the constituency he represented in 2014 and 2019. The BJP has fielded Dr Basavaraj Kyavator, leaving Sanganna revealing he is in touch with Congress but has not taken any decision, PTI reported.
“I will not decide now. We have a meeting with our party leaders on Thursday. I will go with whatever our leaders will suggest whether to stay in the party or join Congress,” he said.
Former Karnataka minister JC Madhuswamy is also upset after BJP fielded V Somanna from Tumakuru. “I am pained that he (Yediyurappa) did not stand for me and back my candidature. Now I am thinking about whether to stay in this party or not when there is no protection here. I will discuss with my workers what to do next,” the BJP leader said.
Karnataka goes to polls in two phases, April 26 and May 7. In the 2019 polls, the BJP had swept the elections in the state, winning 25 out of 28 seats.
(With PTI inputs)
