BENGALURU: After winning four out of seven seats in the Legislative Council in round one quite comfortably, the BJP is now facing an uphill task putting together a list of candidates, who are to be nominated to the House of Elders by the end of this month.
The pressure is now on Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to pick former Janata Dal president Adagur H Vishwanath, who is being strongly backed by the 17 Congress and JDS rebels. He was expected to be in the first list of four, but when he did not make it, the former Congress and JDS leaders, who were instrumental in propping the BJP government over a year ago, spoke out and also met Yediyurappa to push his nomination.
Another strong contender is BJP state vice-president and former MLA Nirmal Surana who, many say, has been more active than president Nalin Kumar Kateel in taking crucial decisions and in drawing up party strategies. Among the list of probables is Go Madhusudhan, who is a party spokesman and former MLC.
Party sources said that he can defend the party well in the council that is largely dependent on Ravi Kumar now. But Madhusudhan is at a disadvantage as the camp that is said to be opposed to Yediyurappa is also against him.
The nomination of Vokkaliga and Channapatna strongman CP Yogeshwar too is being considered by the party leadership as he was instrumental in putting together the BJP government 13 months ago with the help of 17 rebel Congress and JDS MLAs, sources said. Apart from these front-liners, scores of others from Mahila Morcha, farmers', SC/ST, OBC and minority wings of the party and office-bearers from districts have been bidding for seats, the sources added.