Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: The Bharatiya Janata Party put off the release of its first list of candidates for the Karnataka Assembly Elections citing the need for further deliberation. The BJP candidate list for Karnataka elections was expected to be released on Monday evening. However, the release was put off at the eleventh hour amid rumours of discontent as state party veteran BS Yediyurappa made a sudden return to Bengaluru from Delhi.
The abrupt return is being seen by observers as an indication of the BJP parliamentary board member unable to have his way in the selection of candidates for the state polls schedule to be held on May 10. However, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Union minister Pralhad Joshi said the leader had to return due to a personal exigency, reported The Indian Express.
Yediyurappa, it is learnt, has insisted on tickets for as many as 30 loyalists, including his younger son BY Vijayendra, and has guaranteed victories for each of them. Yediyurappa’s insistence on tickets to his choice of candidates has resulted in extensive deliberations by the party and resulted in a delay. The Congress, on the other hand, has already announced names for 166 of the 224 seats, while the JD(S) has declared 93.
Yediyurappa, who announced his retirement from electoral politics, had said that his son would replace him in the Shikaripura seat in Shivamogga district. The move was seen as a preemptive strike by Yediyurappa against rejection of his son’s candidature by the BJP.
BJP sources told IE, “If Yediyurappa is unhappy and has left in anger, it would be linked to rejection of his son’s ticket demands more than anything else.”
Meanwhile, Joshi maintained that Yediyurappa had given suggestions of candidates and had to leave due to personal exigencies. “The list is in the final stages of preparation. Since the Union Home Minister (Amit Shah) is not in Delhi today, we will hold consultations with him, the national president and the PM and, with their permission, the first list will be released,” he said on Monday night.
Meanwhile, CM Bommai on Monday said the first list of the BJP candidates will be released either on Tuesday or Wednesday, adding that there is no confusion regarding finalising the list.
He also said that Yediyurappa had participated in all the meetings, including with Nadda and Shah, over the past three days. “He was part of the CEC (Central Election Committee) and parliamentary board meetings with the PM… He expressed his full views on certain issues,” the CM said, adding that Nadda would take these into account. “Everything has been done under his (Yediyurappa) leadership and taking him into confidence.”
Yediyurappa too dismissed rumours of discontent around his premature return to the state from Delhi. “I am very, very happy. All the suggestions given by me have been accepted. I am sure we will get a full majority on the basis of the seat selection,” he said.