‘BJP’s 1st list for polls might come next week,’ says Joshi

Union Parliamentary affairs minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pralhad Joshi on Friday said that the BJP‘s first list for Karnataka Assembly elections might be announced on April 6 or 7.

Speaking at Karnataka’s Belagavi on Friday, Joshi said, “The party is currently in the process to take the opinions of different people before allotting the tickets. Mostly on April 6 or 7, the first list will be out. The state unit is working hard to give tickets to deserving candidates.”

BJP’s senior leadership is holding a two-day meeting at a private resort in Nelamangala from Friday to discuss the candidates for the upcoming elections. Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and state BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel will lead the proceedings.

The meeting is being held after the party’s high command asked the prominent leaders in the state to collect opinions in all the constituencies ahead of short-listing the names.

Prior to the meeting, the BJP had tasked close to 100 observers to collect names of potential candidates in each constituency, through ballot paper. Mandal presidents, taluk office bearers, and district morcha office bearers were asked to submit the names of their preferred candidates in a secret ballot.

Meanwhile, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said that the BJP will get a clear majority in the upcoming Assembly elections.

The chief minister was speaking to the media at the Ghati temple in Doddaballapur taluk of Bengaluru Rural district today.CM Bommai said, “A lot of poll surveys have been done and it shows the rivalry. Not in favour of Congress. There is still a month and a half to the elections and many changes are being seen.”

“The process of preparing the list has started and it will be released in another week,” said CM answering the question on BJP candidates. “The opinion of the office bearers at the grassroots level is being collected, and it will be submitted to the Parliamentary Board after consultation at the district and taluk level,” he added.

When asked whether Yediyurappa’s son Vijayendra will contest from Varuna constituency against former chief minister Siddaramaiah, BJP state president Nalin Kateel said that discussions are on. “The opinion of leaders on candidates are being collected. All issues concerned will be discussed here,” he said.

Both Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) have already released their first list of candidates and are gearing up to finalise the next list of potential candidates in the remaining constituencies.

Meanwhile, Kudligi BJP MLA NY Gopalakrishna on Friday resigned as a legislator, ahead of the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka. He met Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri at his office in Uttara Kannada district and submitted his resignation.

Amid speculations that he may join Congress, Gopalakrishna said he was considering retirement from politics. “My age is 72, and at this age, I cannot take responsibility due to health factors. I have not thought about joining another party and my plan is to retire from politics,” he said.

Gopalakrishnan also indicated that his son’s desire to contest the polls from “any of the parties” was one of the reasons for his resignation as an MLA.

Gopalakrishna, a six-time MLA, was earlier with the Congress and had got elected from Molakalmuru Assembly segment in Chitradurga district four times, and once from Ballari, before joining the BJP and winning from Kudligi.

On not getting the Congress ticket in 2018, he joined the BJP ahead of the elections. The party gave him a ticket from Kudligi in Vijayanagara district instead of Molakalmuru, as senior leader Sriramulu was fielded from there, and he won the seat.

Responding to his resignation, BJP state president Nalin Kateel said that the party is in talks with the BJP MLA. “He hasn’t given any reasons for his resignation. We are talking to him… about people leaving the party, there are enough leaders who want to join BJP. You will know in the coming days,” he said.

Earlier this month, two MLCs from BJP — Puttanna and Baburao Chinchansur — quit their Legislative Council membership to join the Congress. JD(S) MLA S R Srinivas on Thursday joined the Congress, after resigning as MLA on March 27.

KPCC president DK Shivakumar on Thursday claimed that 37 Janata Dal (Secular) leaders are set to join the Congress. Shivakumar said on Thursday that there was a “long list of people” wishing to join the Congress and it would be made known in stages, in the days to come.

“A few have already joined our party and the remaining, including Arsikere MLA KM Shivalinge Gowda, will join the Congress soon,” Shivakumar told reporters after former Gubbi JDS MLA SR Srinivas joined the Congress.