BENGALURU: Former minister V Somanna is tipped to be the BJP-JDS alliance candidate from Tumakuru for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. He started meeting key leaders and called on JDS state chief and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy recently, ahead of the latter calling on central BJP leaders in New Delhi to finalise seat sharing between the BJP and JDS.
“We discussed a lot of things and I am humbled by H D Kumaraswamy’s gesture,” Somanna said, indirectly claiming that Kumaraswamy has promised support for his candidature.
Somanna also started his temple tour by visiting religious heads, starting with Kadasiddeshwara Mutt in Nonavinakere near Tiptur, and Gubbi Channabasaveshwara temple. To take OBC communities into confidence, he called on Kuruba religious head Sri Eshwaranandapuri Swami in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The swami has some influence in parts of Tumakuru as he has also established a mutt branch at Siddharabetta in Koratagere assembly constituency.
Interestingly, Somanna held a convention to mark the inauguration of ‘Guru Bhavana’ at Siddaganga Mutt, where Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara and Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna praised him as a good leader.
Somanna, a Veerashaiva Lingayat leader, was sulking after former CM B S Yediyurappa’s son B Y Vijayendra was appointed state party chief. He had alleged that father and son had worked against him in Varuna and Chamarajanagar in the 2023 assembly polls, leading to his loss from both seats.
Recently, he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda, and sought to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha. The high command suggested that he contest the Lok Sabha polls and assured him that Yediyurappa and Vijayendra will not wage a cold war any more, sources said.
Sitting BJP MP G S Basavaraju, who is retiring from electoral politics, is backing Somanna as the latter had worked for him in the 2019 LS polls, when he had defeated former PM H D Deve Gowda. Yediyurappa and Vijayendra have pushed former minister JC Madhuswamy’s name for Tumakuru seat. “The people will not forget the way Somanna had attacked Yediyurappa, and will teach him a lesson,” a BJP leader remarked.