Channapatna bypolls: HDK says BJP central leaders have left decision to him

This comes a day after Yogeshwar declares himself candidate

Union Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy on Thursday said he would meet top BJP leaders in the State, tentatively on Saturday, to discuss selection of candidates for the bypolls to Assembly.

Mr. Kumaraswamy told media persons that he had told the BJP leaders to schedule a meeting. “BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashok will be there at the meeting, among others,” he said. He also stated that the BJP Central leaders had left it to him to take a call on the Channapatna seat as he represented it earlier.

When his attention was drawn to BJP leader and former MLA from Channapatna C.P. Yogeshwar declaring himself as the NDA candidate in Channapatna, Mr. Kumaraswamy remarked: “Anybody can say that. But ultimately it is the party leaders who have to take a call.”

The Channapatna seat has turned out to be tricky for the NDA partners in the wake of Mr. Yogeshwar insisting on entering the fray despite the apparent keenness by the JD(S) to keep the seat for itself. What has caused concern among NDA partners is that any differences among themselves may result in division of votes in this seat, which is highly polarised.

Visiting Delhi

Mr. Vijayendra is visiting Delhi on Sunday to hold consultations with the party Central leaders on selection of candidates for the bypolls. According to sources, the BJP State core-committee has prepared a list of probable candidates that would be forwarded to the Central leaders for taking the final call.

Three Assembly seats – Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur – are going to bypolls in Karnataka. The bypolls had been necessitated as Mr. Kumaraswamy, Basavaraj Bommai, and E. Tukaram quit the posts on their election to the Lok Sabha.

While Basavaraj Bommai’s son’s name is doing rounds as one of the probable candidate for Shiggaon, the Sandur seat in Ballari district has attracted political attention in the wake of mining baron and BJP leader Janardhan Reddy getting permission from the Supreme Court to enter Ballari after over a decade and former minister and Congress leader B. Nagendra, who hails from Ballari, coming out of the prison on bail. Both these leaders are expected to play a crucial role in the by-polls for Sandur seat.

Published - October 17, 2024 09:29 pm IST