BJP ticket aspirants intensify lobbying in Karnataka; top brass will decide, says Vijayendra

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be in Bengaluru on February 10 Vijayendra said. Shah is supposed to attend the party’s cluster meeting besides holding talks with members of the core committee.

Bengaluru: In a subtle warning to Lok Sabha poll ticket aspirants, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra on Monday said no nomination was confirmed for anyone in the state. 

The tickets will be announced only after the party high command clears the list, he said. 

This is seen as Vijayendra’s warning to leaders like former minister Dr K Sudhakar, who is said to have started campaigning in Chikkaballapur Lok Sabha constituency and BJP general secretary Preetam Gowda, who is often seen criticising JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda and his son H D Revanna in Hassan.

It is said that Sudhakar will join JD(S) in the event of the Chikkaballapur constituency being allotted to the regional outfit as part of the seat-sharing.  Vijayendra told reporters here that the BJP high command will announce names for all 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state, after due consultations with party workers from each constituency. 

Senior BJP leaders K S Eshwarappa, Jagadish Shettar, G M Siddeshwara, M P Renukacharya, Madal Virupakshappa and others called on party veteran B S Yediyurappa at the latter’s residence in the city.

Renukacharya, Virupakshappa and Siddeshwara discussed the Davangere Lok Sabha seat issue with Yediyurappa and Vijayendra, it is said. Eshwarappa is seeking the party’s nomination for his son K E Kantesh from the Haveri segment.   

Emerging from the meeting, Eshwarappa told reporters that nothing about Lok Sabha tickets was discussed.

Shettar is seen as a potential candidate from three constituencies - Dharwad, Belgaum and Haveri. He is said to have sought Yediyurappa’s opinion in this regard. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be in Bengaluru on February 10 (Saturday) Vijayendra said. Shah is supposed to attend the party’s cluster meeting besides holding talks with members of the core committee.