Karnataka BJP leaders Basavaraj Bommai (L) and Tejasvi Surya (R).
Credit: PTI File Photos
Bengaluru/New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday dropped nine sitting Karnataka MPs, including its former state unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel and Pratap Simha—both Hindutva firebrands—in its first list of 20 Lok Sabha poll candidates from Karnataka that came with some surprise picks.
Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, will make his Lok Sabha poll debut from the Mysore seat in place of Simha. Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, too, is making his maiden Parliament run from Haveri.
Cardiologist Dr C N Manjunath, the son-in-law of JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, will take on Congress' D K Suresh, the brother of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in Bangalore Rural.
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi will run again from Dharwad and BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra from Shimoga.
Ten sitting MPs have been re-nominated despite some of them facing opposition from within the party's ranks. This is being seen as the BJP central leadership's signal that it will not budge to any threats of rebellion.
For example, Union Minister Bhagwanth Khuba got the Bidar ticket again amid opposition from BJP MLAs there.
Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje, who was facing opposition in her Udupi-Chikmagalur seat, has been moved to Bangalore North in place of D V Sadananda Gowda.
In a surprise, the Udupi-Chikmagalur ticket went to Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Kota Srinivas Poojary, who belongs to the Billava (OBC) community.
A similar caste calculation went into senior leader V Somanna getting the Tumkur ticket. Somanna, a Lingayat, is known to have a good rapport with the Tumakuru-headquartered Siddaganga Mutt. He was also sulking after having lost last year's Assembly polls from two constituencies. Again, the party's central leadership has overlooked opposition to Somanna.
In Haveri, notwithstanding threats by veteran K S Eshwarappa who wanted the ticket for his son K E Kanthesh, the BJP went with Bommai.
Nine sitting MPs were dropped due to anti-incumbency and age factors, sources said.
Kateel was denied the ticket as he faced opposition from party workers and RSS leaders. He has been replaced by Capt Brijesh Chowta, whom a senior BJP leader described as "a small-timer".
Simha, too, had strained his relationship with local BJP leaders in Mysore, forcing the party to look for a new face.
In Koppal, anti-incumbency led to two-time Koppal MP Sanganna Karadi losing the ticket to orthopaedic surgeon Dr Basavaraj Kyavater.
Bellary's Y Devendrappa lost the ticket due to age. Here, the BJP has gone with its warhorse and ST face B Sriramulu.
In Davangere, the BJP denied the ticket to sitting MP G M Siddeshwara citing health issues, but has fielded his wife Gayatri Siddeshwara. It is said that the BJP wanted to stick with the Siddeshwara family because the Congress is planning to field Congress veteran Shamanur Shivashankarappa's daughter-in-law Prabha.
Sadananda Gowda, V Srinivas Prasad (Chamarajanagar), Shivakumar Udasi (Haveri) and G S Basavaraj (Tumkur) had announced political retirement. In Chamarajanagar, former Kollegal MLA S Balaraj is the BJP's nominee.
The BJP has repeated P C Mohan in Bangalore Central and Yuva Morcha national president Tejasvi Surya from Bangalore South.