Decision on nominee for Channapatna bypoll to be decided in Delhi: BJP

Bengaluru: Karnataka unit Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president B.Y. Vijayendra on Tuesday said that the final decision on naming the candidate for by-election to the high-stakes Channapatna Assembly constituency candidate will be made in Delhi by the top leaders of both BJP and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S). Channapatna Assembly constituency was represented by Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, H.D. Kumaraswamy. Sources in JD-S claimed that Union Minister Kumaraswamy is keen on fielding his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy for the seat. Meanwhile, senior BJP leader C.P. Yogeshwar has submitted that if his candidature is not considered for the bypoll, he would contest as an Independent candidate.

On the other hand, Karnataka unit Congress President and Dy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has taken it as a matter of prestige to ensure the victory of his party candidate in the by-election.

Shivakumar has also clarified that his daughter Aisshwarya Hegde, an engineering graduate, would not contest from Chhannapatna. Political sources believe that the Assembly segment is all set to witness high-voltage campaigning and intense competition among the candidates.

Speaking to mediapersons in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Vijayendra mentioned that taking everyone into confidence as the Karnataka BJP president is his primary duty, which he has been consistently fulfilling.

He hoped that the meeting with BJP’s central leaders would be beneficial for the party’s organisation.

Vijayendra also acknowledged that Yogeshwar’s aspirations to become a candidate in Channapatna bypoll was not incorrect, noting that the latter has his own base and support in the area.

However, since the BJP and the JD-S have joined forces and Kumaraswamy had previously been elected, the final decision will be made by the leaders of both parties in Delhi. Vijayendra also said that both the BJP and JD-S had contested the Lok Sabha polls together, and they had formed a committee to select candidates for the Assembly by-election.