The Bharatiya Janata Party's recommendation to field former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's son in the June 3 biennial election to seven seats of the Karnataka Legislative Council has been ignored by the central leadership. The development comes as the saffron party on Tuesday announced the candidature of former Deputy Chief Minister and party vice president Laxman Savadi, party's state secretaries Hemalatha Nayak and S Keshavaprasad, and President of SC Morcha Chalavadi Narayaswamy.
The state BJP core committee had recommended state BJP vice president BY Vijayendra's name to the central leadership, as one of the probable candidates.
According to party sources, the leadership decided against giving a ticket to Vijayendra, as it wants to field him as a candidate during the 2023 assembly elections, and is likely to give him a greater role in the party ahead of the polls as a placatory move.
There were also some reports that Yediyurappa had desired to make his son an MLC and then insist on making him a minister in the Basavaraj Bommai cabinet.
There have been such demands from his supporters after Yediyurappa stepped down as Chief Minister in July last year.
The central leadership is also said to have decided against Vijayendra's candidature, as it will weaken the BJP’s stand against dynasty politics, ahead of 2023 assembly polls, as Yediyurappa is currently an MLA from Shikaripura assembly seat, while his elder son BY Raghavendra is Shivamogga MP.
The BJP announced the four candidates hours before the deadline for filing nominations ends on Tuesday.
Candidates announced by other parties
The JD(S) announced former MLC TA Saravana as its candidate. The Congress has announced M Nagaraju Yadav and K Abdul Jabbar as its candidates.
The election is necessitated as the term of office of seven members expires on June 14.
The seats will be falling vacant due to the retirement of MLCs -- Laxman Savadi and Lahar Singh Siroya of BJP; Ramappa Timmapur, Allum Veerabhadrappa, and Veena Achaiah S of Congress; and H M Ramesha Gowda and Narayana Swamy KV of JD(S).
According to official sources, in this election, each MLC candidate will require a minimum of 29 votes to win, and on the basis of the minimum votes required and tallying it with the strength of each party in the Legislative Assembly, the BJP is expected to win four seats, Congress two, and JD(S) one.
Meanwhile, the BJP has fielded Basavaraj Horatti, who recently resigned as the Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council and MLC, and joined the party, as a candidate for upcoming MLC polls from West Teachers’ constituency.
Polls for two of each Teacher's and Graduate’s constituencies are scheduled on June 13.
Considered to be the senior-most MLC, 76-year-old Horatti, who has been elected to the Upper House for seven successive terms, was earlier with the JD(S).
BJP has already announced the candidates for the remaining three seats: Arun Shahpur (North West Teachers’ constituency), Hanumant Rudrappa Nirani (North West Graduates’ constituency), and former MLC MV Ravishankar (South Graduates’ Constituency).
(With inputs from PTI)
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