After being denied BJP ticket from Bangalore South constituency at the last minute, Tejaswini Ananth Kumar said that she would accept the decision taken by the party high command. Urging her supporters to stop expressing their dissatisfaction over the decision she said, "This is the time to show our maturity, (to show) how different we are from others," she said.
Though her supporters were hopeful of her candidature till the very last minute, the party disappointed them by announcing the name of BJP Yuva Morcha leader and advocate Tejasvi Surya.
Speaking to reporters, she said that it was natural for her party workers to be saddened by the decision, as they had been with her for the past three decades. The wife of former union minister H N Ananth Kumar said that it was now time for both workers and leaders to follow the decision of the party. "From yesterday morning I have been saying, we are a party based on principles," she said, adding that it was now time for workers to set aside any differences and work towards ensuring party's victory in the upcoming elections.
BJP candidature for Bangalore South constituency was shrouded in suspense with reports that even prime minister Narendra Modi could contest from the constituency.
While, Tejaswini had remained a front runner, until the release of BJPs first list of candidates for Karnataka, names of probable leaders like MLAs Ravi Subramanya and Suresh Kumar had emerged to the fore later.