Karnataka BJP Candidate List: Modi, Yediyurappa Stamp Visible As Party Blends Ideology, Identity And Strong Local Faces

The ruling BJP in Karnataka on Tuesday announced its first list of candidates for 189 constituencies for the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections in the state.

The list was released at the party headquarters by Karnataka election in-charge and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the presence of BJP General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh and BJP TN Unit President K.Annamalai.

In recognition of the party's deepening social base in the state, it has fielded thirty-two candidates belonging to OBCs, 30 Scheduled Castes, and 16 Scheduled Tribes.

Though it did not wholly pursue the party's recent experiments in effecting large-scale changes, the list comprised 52 new faces, many long-time workers.

The list also features nine doctors, five advocates, three academicians, one retired IAS officer, one retired IPS officer, three former government employees, and eight social activists, Arun Singh said.

As many as 11 incumbent MLAs, including senior leaders K.S Eshwarappa, Halady Srinivas Shetty, both of whom had announced retirement from electoral politics, did not feature in the list.

The party renominated Chief Minister Bommai from the Shiggaon constituency in Haveri district.

In deference to the wishes of former CM and party veteran B. S. Yediyurappa, who too has bowed out of electoral politics, his son B Y Vijayendra will contest from the Shikaripura constituency.

As a part of a strategy to mount a challenge to Congress's chief ministerial candidates, D.K Shivakumar and Siddaramiah, the party has fielded powerful ministers against them.

While the party's influential Lingayat leader in Mysuru region, Somanna, will fight against Congress leader Siddaramaiah in Varuna constituency, Vokkalliga leader and Minister R. Ashok will be taking on KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar in Kanakapura constituency.

While Ashok will also contest from his stronghold Padmanabhanagar in Bengaluru city, Somanna will also be contesting from Chamarajanagar. In the 2018 assembly election, Somanna won from the Govindarajanagar in Bengaluru Urban with a margin of 11,375 votes.

Interestingly reports had emerged in local media that Somanna, believed to be miffed over being sidelined in the party affairs, was considering leaving the BJP and joining the Congress ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections.

The former Minister C.P. Yogeshwar was nominated to contest the Channapatna seat. He is expected to challenge JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.

In the coastal Karnataka region, considered its ideological stronghold, it effected large-scale changes in both Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

While Vedavyasa Kamath has secured the ticket again from the Mangaluru South constituency, Dr Bharat Y Shetty will contest from Mangaluru North. The party has fielded Satish Kumapla from Mangaluru (erstwhile Ullal) in Dakshina Kannada to take on four-time MLA U. T. Khader of the Congress.

Only the state energy minister and Karkala MLA Sunil Kumar were renominated in the Udupi district.

Yashpal Suvarna has been given a party ticket to replace sitting Udupi MLA Raghupati Bhat. In Kaup constituency, Bunt community leader Gurme Suresh Shetty has been given a ticket to replace sitting MLA Lalaji R Mendon.

Kiran Kumar Kodgi has been fielded from Kundapur, replacing the five-time MLA of Kundapur, Halady Srinivas Shetty.

Harish Poonja will contest from Beltangady, Umanatha Kotiyan from Moodbidri, Rajesh Naik from Bantwal, and Suresh Shetty Gurme from Kaup.

The party decided to field two woman candidates from coastal districts. While Asha Thimmappa Gowda was picked as the candidate from Puttur, it fielded Bhagirathi Murulya from Sulliya, replacing veteran leader and minister S. Angara.

The party is yet to announce candidates for Shivamogga City, from where Eshwarappa WON IN 2018 and Hubballi-Dharwad Central, where the former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar has threatened to rebel against the party high command's decision to replace him. The party has also yet to announce a candidate for the Krishnaraja seat from where S.A. Ramdas was elected to the Assembly in the previous polls.

Former Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao will contest from Chamarajpet, while retired IAS officer and former BBMP commissioner Anil Kumar will contest from Koratagere.

The candidate selection in the Belagavi district points to the upper hand gained by local strongman Ramesh Jarkiholi. Former BJP Deputy CM Laxman Savadi was not been given the Athani ticket as the party retained Jarkiholi's follower and incumbent MLA Mahesh Kumatahalli.

Two incumbent MLAs in the Belagavi district have missed out on the ticket to contest the upcoming elections. Sitting legislators from Belagavi North and Ramdurg – Anil Benake and Mahadevappa Shivalingappa Yadawad – failed to make the grade.

The party announced that Dr Ravi Patil would contest from Belagavi North and Chikkarevanna from Ramdurg.

Two members from the late BJP leader and minister Umesh Katti's family received nominations. The party said that Katti's brother Ramesh Katti would contest from Chikkodi-Sadalga, while his son Nikhil Katti will fight from Hukkeri.