BENGALURU: The BJP on Wednesday announced its candidates for 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. Of them, 10 are new faces. Candidates for eight constituencies, including those to be given to JDS were not announced.
Former PM and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda’s son-in-law and well-known cardiologist Dr CN Manjunath will be BJP’s candidate for Bengaluru Rural constituency. Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family, is prominent among the new faces.
As anticipated, the BJP dropped sitting MP Pratap Simha and selected 32-year-old Yaduveer for Mysuru-Kodagu constituency. Former CM and former Union minister DV Sadananda Gowda, sitting Bengaluru North MP, has been replaced by Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje, who is Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP. It is said Shobha has been shifted to Bengaluru North in view of stiff opposition from BJP leaders and workers in Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency.
Dr Manjunath pitted against DK Suresh in B’luru Rural
Former Union minister GM Siddeshwara, sitting Davanagere MP, has been dropped. Instead, the BJP selected his wife Gayathri Siddeshwara as its candidate for Davanagere. Former BJP state president Nalinkumar Kateel has been replaced by BJP state secretary Capt Brijesh Chowta for Dakshina Kannada.
Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai will contest from Haveri, while V Somanna, B Sriramulu and Kota Srinivas Poojary, who were ministers in the Bommai cabinet, will be fielded from Tumakuru, Ballari and Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituencies, respectively.
Sriramulu and Somanna lost the Assembly elections last year, while Poojary is now Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Council. Among the 20 candidates, two are women. Union ministers Shobha Karandlaje, Bhagwanth Khuba and Pralhad Joshi are seeking re-election.
PC Mohan, Bengaluru Central, Tejasvi Surya (Bengaluru South), PC Gaddigoudar (Bagalkot), Anna Saheb Jolle (Chikkodi), BY Raghavendra (Shivamogga), Dr Umesh Jadav (Gulbarga) and Ramesh Jigajinagi (Bijapur) are the other sitting MPs contesting the LS polls.
Former director of Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology Dr Manjunath will be contesting against DK Suresh of Congress in Bengaluru Rural constituency. Dr Basavaraj Kyavator is a surprise choice of the party, who will contest from Koppal constituency. Dr Basavaraj is an orthopedic surgeon and is the son of former MLA from Kustagi K Sharanappa.
Chamarajanagar candidate S Balaji was Kollegal MLA earlier. Of the 20 candidates, eight are Lingayats, three SCs, two Brahmins, two Vokkaligas, one ST, one Bunt, and three from Other Backward Classes. BJP sources said former chief minister BS Yediyurappa had a major say in the selection of these candidates.