BELAGAVI: Just a few days after the demise of Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi, the BJP has begun hunting for a suitable candidate for the by-election. It is likely to be conducted within the next six months. The party is keen to field a member of Angadi’s family even as a number of party leaders from Belagavi region are keen on contesting. A top party leader told TNIE that the party would not like to gamble by fielding candidates other than Angadi’s kin. State BJP president Nalinkumar Kateel will visit Angadi’s family on Tuesday to pay his tribute to the leader.
He is also expected to hold a meeting of the party leaders in Belagavi to discuss on the selection of a candidate for the bypoll. With a large chunk of voters in Belagavi LS constituency being Marathi, the BJP will have to pick a candidate popular among both the Kannada and Marathi sections if it decides to field a candidate other than Angadi’s family member. The front-runner, according to sources, could be Shankargouda Patil, Karnataka’s representative in New Delhi.