BELAGAVI/ATHANI : Even as the fate of the 17 disqualified Congress-JDS MLAs is yet to be decided by the Supreme Court over their eligibility to contest the ensuing bypolls, former BJP minister and Hukkeri MLA Umesh Katti has said that the party will not entertain the disqualified MLAs by giving them tickets to contest the by-elections. He, however, did not name any MLA.
Katti was speaking to reporters after inaugurating Dasara celebrations at Hukkeri Mutt on Sunday. “If they (disqualified MLAs) are hoping that they will fight as BJP candidates, then they are wrong. In bypolls, we will go our way and they will go their own way,” he added.
BJP will field its defeated candidates Ashok Pujari from Gokak, Raju Kage from Kagwad and Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi from Athani in the bypolls, Katti claimed.
When asked to react on Kage’s statement that he would quit the party if denied a ticket, Katti said, “Kage is my very good friend and he will never quit the party ... and the party in all likelihood will give him the ticket.”
He, however, said the party is yet to issue tickets, and if it doesn’t field Kage, then one has to wait and watch.
Meanwhile, responding to Katti’s statement, Savadi said, “The party top brass will decide whom to field in the bypolls. Leaders like Katti and I do not have the authority to allot tickets. The party high command will make the right decision at the right time.”