BENGALURU: BJP ticket aspirant from Rajarajeshwari Nagar assembly constituency N Munirathna called on Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday morning, accompanied by Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi.Munirathna is said to have met Yediyurappa to discuss the apparent delay in announcing candidates for the two assembly seats by the Central leadership, bypolls for which are due on November 3.
Muniratna, whose candidature has been unanimously backed by the BJP state core committee to honour the party’s commitment to him for rebelling against the JDS-Congress coalition government, leading to its collapse, is said to be jittery over the delay in announcing the candidate for the seat.
The Congress named newbie H Kusuma — wife of late IAS officer DK Ravi and daughter of 2008 JDS candidate from the seat Hanumantharayappa — as its candidate for Rajarajeshwari Nagar.Munirathna aspires to win the election on a BJP ticket and join the Yediyurappa cabinet as a minister, much like many of the rebel MLAs who quit the coalition and joined the BJP.
Despite miffed local leaders like Tulasi Muniraju Gowda and grassroots level cadres who fought a bitter electoral battle with Munirathna in 2018 as a Congress candidate, the State unit of the BJP has backed Munirathna, but the Central leadership is taking its time to assess ground realities. For Sira, the core committee has backed debutante Dr Rajesh Gowda as its first choice. However, his business association with Siddaramaiah’s son and Varuna MLA Dr Yathindra, and allegations of a scam made by the BJP against the company when Siddaramaiah was Chief Minister, is said to be proving a challenge in finalising names.