BENGALURU: The BJP on Thursday announced former MLAs Ramesh Bhusanur and Shivaraj Sajjanar as its candidates to contest the October 30 bypolls from Sindagi and Hanagal Assembly segments, respectively. Both the candidates are said to be close to former chief minister BS Yediyurappa. Ever since the poll dates were announced, the Big 3 political players in the state— BJP, Congress and JDS— have been making all efforts to win the seats.
Earlier this week, Congress declared Ashok Managuli as its candidate from Sindagi, and Srinivas V Mane from Hanagal. JDS has fielded Naziya Shakeel Ahmed Angadi in Sindagi and Niyaz Shaikh in Hanagal. Naziya filed her nomination on Thursday in the presence of former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy.
Bypolls to Sindagi and Hanagal were necessitated following the demise of MC Managuli (JDS) and CM Udasi (BJP), respectively.
The bypolls have become a matter of prestige for Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai since this will be his first electoral test after assuming office in July. Also, Hanagal is in his home district Haveri, making it a must-win battle for Bommai. Sajjanar is a former MLA from Haveri, and a loyalist of Lingayat strongman Yediyurappa. When Yediyurappa quit the BJP and started the Karnataka Janata Party in 2013, Sajjanar too joined the newly floated party, contested and lost the 2013 Assembly elections.
Sources in BJP said though Sajjanar’s name was doing the rounds for some time, many party leaders, including Bommai, were keen on fielding Revathi Udasi, wife of BJP MP Shivakumar Udasi, and daughter-in-law of late CM Udasi, from Hanagal. Bommai was close to the senior Udasi, whom he considers his mentor.
A few party leaders were also batting for Shivakumar Udasi. “The party was not keen on giving the ticket to a member of the same family. Also, it did not want byelections for Gadag Lok Sabha seat,” a senior leader told TNIE, justifying why the party did not field Shivakumar. In Sindagi, the party has fielded former MLA Ramesh Bhusanur. He lost the 2018 polls to MC Managuli. Sources close to Yediyurappa said even before Bhusanur’s name was announced, he was seen meeting Yediyurappa often. Bhusanur, who is also a Lingayat, had urged Yediyurappa to campaign for him for three days.
JDS candidate from Sindagi Naziya Angadi declared individual assets worth Rs 49.85 lakh in her poll affidavit. It includes jewellery worth Rs 24 lakh, Rs 4.27 lakh bank deposits and Rs 2 lakh in cash. She also owns one acre of land and a car worth Rs 13 lakh.