Thirteen of the sitting 18 Lok Sabha MPs from the state are likely to get tickets to contest the 2014 polls. A question mark remains over the remaining five, who have been suspended from the party.
The party’s State Core Committee, which is meeting in Bangalore on Thursday, is likely to discuss probable candidates and strategies to be adopted to send the maximum number of MPs from Karnataka to the Lok Sabha. “Since it is a preparatory meeting no major decisions will be taken on Thursday,” a source said.
The State has 28 Lok Sabha seats. In the 2009 election, the BJP won 18 seats. The Congress bagged 7 seats and the JD(S) three. Subsequently, in the August byelections, the Congress wrested two of the JD(S) seats, leaving them with one.
A source said Bangalore North MP D B Chandre Gowda may not contest the coming elections on health grounds.
“He is 78 years old and is not keen. We are looking for a suitable candidate for his place,” the source said.
MPs B Y Raghavendra (Shimoga), Shivakumar Udasi (Haveri) and G S Basavaraj (Tumkur) have been suspended from the party for identifying with former CM B S Yeddyurappa’s KJP. Similarly, J Shanta (Bellary) and Sanna Fakirappa (Raichur) have been suspended for identifying with BSR Congress, a political outfit launched by former minister B Sriramulu.
“These MPs have not been expelled from the party,” the source pointed out, adding that circumstances may change enough to accommodate them on party tickets.
With speculation about KJP’s merger with BJP thick in the air, Raghavendra and Shivakumar Udasi may get the party’s tickets after a formal merger. This is likely to happen soon if one goes by Yeddyurappa’s enthusiasm to merge his party with the BJP. The elevation of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as chairman of the BJP’s National Campaign Committee and his anointment as the party candidate for the PM’s post, has brought Yeddyurappa closer to BJP, another source said.
“Yeddyurappa is on his tenterhooks to join BJP as he wants his son Raghavendra to contest from Shimoga on a BJP ticket. With pro-Modi wave across the country, Yeddyurappa is likely to take a decision regarding the merger of KJP into BJP at the earliest.
In that case, even former minister C M Udasi’s son, Shivakumar may contest from the party from Haveri. But Basavaraj is reportedly not interested to contest from Tumkur,” the source added.
The State BJP unit would send three to four dates to Modi to address a mega rally in Bangalore after the Core Committee on Thursday.