Former corporators, new faces get tickets in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: It was curious to know as to who BJP will field for the assembly constituencies of the Bangalore city, this time the party has fielded former corporators and new faces. As the ticket-deprived aspirants are fuming, resentment is likely to erupt.

BJP has announced the list of candidates for 25 out of 28 constituencies in the city. The fact that the names of candidates for Mahadevpura represented by sitting MLA Arvinda Limbavali, Govindarajanagar represented by Minister V Somanna and Hebbala constituencies have not been finalised has heightened expectations. In this election, five former corporators have been given an opportunity to enter Vidhana Soudha as a member. Also, former IPS officer Bhaskar Rao, who left the Aam Aadmi Party and joined the BJP, has been fielded from the Chamarajpet constituency.

There were rumours that in Rajajinagar, Basavanagudi, Chickpet constituencies, tickets will not be given to sitting MLAs, and others will be fielded. Similarly, the BJP leaders have put an end on the speculations that the candidates will be changed even in the BJP-dominated constituencies, except for V Somanna, they have again given tickets to the sitting MLAs. Tickets have been announced for those who won the last election and were MLAs again in the same constituencies.

The BJP leaders were worried about fielding strong candidates in the remaining constituencies including Byatarayanpura, BTM Layout, Sarvagnanagar, which are dominated by the Congress. It was said that those who have won three or four times in the same constituency will contest against the main leaders of the Congress who are sure that the constituency will not be lost by the BJP.

In the Hebbal assembly constituency, there is a fierce competition for the ticket between the former minister Katta Subramanya Naidu and the chief whip of the Vidhan Parishad YA Narayanaswamy. Thus, candidate selection has become a dilemma for BJP leaders. R Ashok's relatives A Ravi, K N Chakrapani and Tammesh Gowda lobbied hard in Byatarayanpura constituency. In the fight between three aspirants, Vijayendra's close aide Tammesh Gowda has succeeded in getting the ticket.

Former corporator H Ravindra, who was defeated by a narrow margin in the 2018 elections in Vijayanagara, has bagged the ticket. Former corporator K Umesh Shetty, who was a strong ticket aspirant from the same constituency, lost the ticket.

Also, former corporator Padmanabha Reddy has been fielded in Sarvagnanagar constituency. Earlier, he contested in the same constituency and lost. Former corporator N Chandra from Shivajinagar constituency, K Shivakumar from Shantinagar constituency and former corporator CK Ramamurthy from Jayanagar constituency have got BJP tickets. Bengaluru South District BJP President NR Ramesh was a strong ticket aspirant from Jayanagar constituency.

Anil Shetty was very keen to contest against the influential Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy. However, BJP has given a ticket to Sridhar Reddy. While, Murali in Pulikeshinagar constituency and Saptagiri Gowda, son of former Minister Ramachandra Gowda, in Gandhinagar constituency. Retired IAS officer K Shivaram, who wanted to contest from Anekal constituency, lost the ticket. Newcomer Hullalli Srinivas has been given a chance.

Retired IPS officer Bhaskar Rao, who left AAP on the eve of the election and joined the BJP camp, was unlucky. He was eyeing the Basavanagudi constituency and got the BJP ticket in the Chamarajpet

constituency.

The powerful aspirants who were active in many sectors of the city were disappointed. Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, wife of former Union minister Ananth Kumar, Bangalore South district BJP president NR Ramesh, former corporator K Umesh Shetty, leader Anil Shetty, among others, have lost tickets.