BENGALURU: After several former corporators of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike announced their interest to contest the upcoming Assembly polls, the list of ticket aspirants has now increased two fold. Many of them have also intensified lobbying for tickets and formulating strategies. Two-time BBMP corporator from Nagarbhavi ward, Umesh Shetty, is aspiring to enter the fray on a BJP ticket from Vijayanagar to battle it out with Congress heavyweight M Krishnappa.
“I have been working for the BJP for over 20 years and now want to ensure that the saffron flag flies in Vijayanagar assembly constituency,” said Shetty.
He added that the BJP goes by its principle of resting politicians who cross 70 years of age, those who lost twice continuously, those with a bad image and want to experiment with new faces. Hence, he is also trying. Like Shetty, former corporator Dhanraj from Dharmaraya Swamy Temple ward is also aspiring a ticket from Chickpet assembly constituency. “I have worked in 220 booths to ensure Hemchandra Sagar’s victory once. I worked for MLA Uday Garudachar the same way and now I also want to become an MLA,” he said.
It is said that Dhanraj, a Tamilian with his chosen constituency having a sizable population of Tamils, has also routed his bid for candidacy through the Bengaluru Tamil Sangam to BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai. “Annamalai is BJP co-incharge for Karnataka now, so we have approached him stating that at least one ticket be given to a Tamil candidate from Bengaluru,” said a source from the Bengaluru Tamil Sangam.
For the Chikpete assembly constituency, former mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun is also lobbying through her patron Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy to fight it out against former MLA R V Devaraj.
“I have been a two time-corporator and MLA. I used about Rs 200 crore funds to develop Chickpete and some works are still going on. So I am also aspiring for a ticket,” said Mallikarjun.
Shivanahalli Manjunath G, who served as a one-time corporator and is now the city BJP president, is lobbying hard for the Rajajinagar constituency. “We have fought for party leader S Suresh Kumar in the last seven terms. Since he promised not to contest earlier, I want to contest,” said Manjunath.
AR Shivakumar, Sridhar Reddy, RV Yuvaraj, Timme Gowda and a number of other former BBMP corporators are also aspiring for MLA tickets.