The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faced a delay in finalising its list of candidates for the upcoming state assembly elections in Karnataka due to differences of opinion between senior leaders over candidate selection and demand for tickets for turncoat MLAs. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Bommai eventually announced that the lists had been finalised in two batches, but sources say there was no consensus on the crucial selection of over 75 seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP National President JP Nadda each had four sets of lists, with three out of four matching on most seats. However, one list had many surprises. B S Yediyurappa, a parliamentary board member and former Chief Minister, had a heated argument over the choice of candidates and did not see eye-to-eye with the BJP high command over the names for over 110 of the total 224 seats.
The BJP also faced opposition from its list of turncoat MLAs, and BJP central leadership only approved four names on former minister and Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi’s list of 17 supporters. Though the possibility of a few MLAs returning to the Congress and JDS cannot be ruled out, state BJP leaders are cautiously optimistic.
Another hurdle for the BJP was its top leadership’s desire for state BJP vice-president BY Vijayendra, BSY’s younger son, to take on the leader of the Opposition and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah for the Varuna seat. Vijayendra and BSY were not comfortable with the idea, however, as BSY is looking to field Vijayendra from the family pocketborough of Shikaripura.
Despite the delays, BJP MP Prahar Joshi clarified that there was “no inordinate delay” and that the party usually announces its candidates a few days before the date of filing nominations, which is April 20. The BJP is seeking to come back to power for the second time in a crucial election, and the central leadership carefully graded each MLA’s work in their constituency to ensure winnability. Meanwhile, the opposition has announced its candidates for 166 assembly seats in the Congress’s two lists and 93 names in the JDS’s one list. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also released its third list of 28 candidates.
