BJP releases its first list comprising 189 candidates

R Ashok pitted against DKS while Somanna against Siddu

Bengaluru, April 12: After dillydallying the BJP on Tuesday evening released its first list of 189 candidates including Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai from Shiggaon Assembly seat and national general secretary of BJP CT Ravi from Chikmagluru constituency.

At least 52 fresh candidates’ names figure in BJP’s first list for the forthcoming Karnataka election on May 10. As per the list as many as 32 OBC candidates, 30 SC candidates and 16 ST candidates have been considered.

“Among the candidates, doctors, IPS and IAS officers, 31 PG candidates, and eight women have been given ticket. Five advocates, nine doctors, three academicians, two retired IAS and IPS officers, three retired government employees, and eight social workers too have been considered,” said BJP’s national general secretary Arun Singh.

The announcement comes after the party’s Central Election Committee and Parliamentary Board meeting concluded on Sunday.

Apart from Padmanabhanagar Revenue Minister R Ashoka has pitted against KPCC president DK Shivakumar in Kanakapura constituency. Meanwhile, Housing and Infrastructure Development V Somanna against Siddaramaiah in Varuna constituency. Somanna will also contest the Chamrajnagar seat.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, party president JP Nadda, among other members of the CEC including Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai from the state of the leadership deliberated on the names of the probable candidates. 

MTB Nagaraj has been given ticket from Hosakote constituency. It was said that Nagaraj’s son Rajesh would be considered for Hosakote constituency and he was on campaign spree seeking voters in his favour.

Earlier in the day, Yediyurappa had expressed unhappy over choice of candidates former chief minister and member of the BJP parliamentary board B S Yediyurappa returned to Bengaluru even before the final list was vetted.

There was talk that the premature departure of Yediyurappa from Delhi indicated the BJP heavyweight’s unhappiness over not having his way with candidate choices.

Former corporator NR Ramesh’s name is missing from the first list. This has not gone down well with his supporters. The supporters protested near R Ashok residence and announced that Ramesh would contest as an independent candidate from Padmanabhanagar, which is Ashok’s home constituency.

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