BENGALURU: The BJP on Saturday announced its candidates for five out of six Legislative Council seats (three each of Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies), which will go to the polls on June 3. The BJP has allotted one seat to its ally JDS (South West Teachers’ constituency, held by SL Bhoje Gowda).
The saffron party has renominated YA Narayanaswamy for the Karnataka South East Teachers’ seat and A Deve Gowda from Bengaluru Graduates’ seat.
For the South Teachers’ constituency, which was held by JDS, the BJP has declared EC Ningaraju, a newbie who has his roots in the ABVP, as the candidate. Marithibbe Gowda, who had won the seat as a JDS candidate, recently resigned from the regional party, and is now the Congress candidate.
The JDS had plans to field either Srikante Gowda or businessman Vivekananda chosen by former CM HD Kumaraswamy. But now the JDS may not field its candidate owing to its alliance with the BJP. Sources, however, said that the JDS is still trying to get the seat and the party’s leadership has spoken to BJP leader and former CM BS Yediyurappa.
The saffron party had earlier sacrificed the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency seat to the JDS in the by-elections held in February 2024. But BJP-JDS alliance candidate AP Ranganath lost to Congress candidate Puttanna.
The BJP has nominated Dr Dhanajaya Sirji for the South West Graduates’ seat. Senior leader Ayanur Manjunath, who quit as the BJP MLC, will contest from the Congress against Sirji. For the North East Graduates’ constituency, the BJP has fielded Amarnath Patil against Dr Chandrashekhar B Patil of the Congress.
No threat to the alliance between two parties, says Yediyurappa
Mysuru: Former chief minister B S Yediyurappa said the BJP-JDS alliance will continue and it will fight the ensuing Legislative Council election. Clarifying that there is no threat to the alliance between the two parties, he said the BJP will contest four seats and the JDS would fight in two out of the six constituencies going for the polls in both the teachers’ and graduates’ constituency. However, no decision has been taken on which seats the BJP and JDS will fight. Speaking to the media persons here on Saturday, he said BJP national president J P Nadda will announce the seats that the BJP and JDS will contest. The former CM claimed that the NDA will win 400 seats and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will return for the third term. He said the BJP will win 24-25 seats in the state and the party is not worried about the Congress narrative . “There is no leader in the Congress who is qualified to become the PM,” he said. Refuting comments by expelled BJP leader K S Eshwarappa, Yediyurappa said his son
BY Raghavendra will win by a margin of 2.5 lakh votes.