The key contenders for the Assembly elections like sitting BJP MLC Shasil Namoshi, Priyank Kharge and Ajay Singh, sons of Congress heavyweights Union Minister Mallikarjun Kharge and Dharam Singh, are eagerly waiting for their names to feature in the list of candidates.
The Congress not fielding Priyanka Kharge from Chittapur and Ajay Singh from Jewargi has led to confusion in the party.
District Congress president Sharanaprakash Patil said that the high command would give the green signal to the leaders as only single names have been sent from both the constituencies.
But rumour has it that the Congress top brass wants to field Mallikarjun Kharge from Chittapur constituency.Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) high command has kept Namoshi on tenterhooks by not including his name in the first list.
It is said that the high command has no interest in fielding Namoshi from Gulbarga south constituency as it wants him to continue as Member of the Legislative Council. Rumour has it that the BJP wanted to field Appu Gowda, who has been nominated the JD(S) candidate from Gulbarga South.
Appu Gowda told Express that if the BJP makes such an offer he would discuss it with his followers and take a decision. Appu Gowda’s late father Chandrashekhar Patil had represented Gulbarga twice from the BJP. But the BJP had not fielded Patil’s wife or Appu Gowada in the bye-elections.
Then the JD(S) had picked Aruna Patil, who won the seat. The BJP does not want to lose Gulbarga constituency as Namoshi was defeated by Aruna in the bye-elections.
Senior BJP leader and MLC K B Shanappa said that a delegation of about 500 people, including him, had met BJP state leaders and tried to convince them not to field Appu Gowda but go for Namoshi instead. But the leaders have not responded. Namoshi has to wait another day to know his future.