BENGALURU: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced its candidates for the Rajya Sabha and Karnataka Legislative Council elections scheduled for June 18.
BJP's alliance partner Janata Dal (Secular) was hoping that former Prime Minister and JDS Supremo HD Devegowda would be renominated to the Rajya Sabha. Now with BJP announcing its candidate for the RS polls, it has ruled out another term for the former PM.
Professor (Dr) M. Nagaraj has been nominated as the BJP candidate for the Rajya Sabha election, while Lingaraj Patil and Raghu Kautilya have been fielded for the Karnataka Legislative Council polls.
Professor M. Nagaraj, a senior BJP leader from Hubballi-Dharwad, has a strong background in education, administration and politics. He was active in the ABVP and RSS before joining the BJP and later served as the party's state vice-president. He has also served as a member of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC).
Former MP and actress Sumalatha Ambarish whose supporters were demanding RS seat was also disappointed.
The BJP leadership expressed confidence that the candidates would effectively represent the party in their respective Houses.