Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said he will be contesting from the Shiggaon constituency after the BJP Central Election Committee (CEC) held an over three-hour meeting to discuss candidates for the upcoming Karnataka assembly election.
The meeting was attended by the senior party leadership at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, general secretary B L Santhosh, and other members of the CEC.
According to reports, the Karnataka BJP core group, including Nadda and Shah, will reconvene tomorrow to reach a final decision. The announcement of the official list of candidates may take place tomorrow evening or the day after.
Sources had said the BJP held discussions on all 224 seats in the upcoming Karnataka election. It has been decided that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and BJP National General Secretary CT Ravi will contest from their previous seats, Shiggaon and Chikmagalur constituencies respectively. Additionally, BS Yeddyurappa’s son BY Vijayendra is set to contest from Shikaripura, they said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting concluded, the chief minister said PM Modi has given some “directions” and the candidates’ names will be announced either on Monday or Tuesday. “We discussed the overall list for the Karnataka elections and probably we will sit again tomorrow and the list will be announced tomorrow or the day after,” he said.
“I am contesting from the Shiggaon constituency,” he added.
#WATCH | We discussed the overall list for the Karnataka elections and probably we will sit again tomorrow and the list will be announced tomorrow or the day after. I am contesting from the Shiggaon constituency: Karnataka CM Basvaraj Bommai after the CEC meeting pic.twitter.com/BxmmzgNZO0— ANI (@ANI) April 9, 2023
The BJP has set a target of winning a minimum of 150 out of the 224 seats in the southern state as it seeks to regain power in the region.
Major political parties have intensified their efforts to win votes in the run-up to the polls. In Karnataka, Congress and JD(S) have actively engaged in a massive hunt for votes. However, weeks after the announcement of the date for the assembly elections, the BJP has not yet released its list of candidates for the upcoming polls.
According to a News18 Kannada report, the BJP has reportedly initiated mini-polls throughout the state to select the right candidate for the upcoming May 10 polls. The party has adopted a wait-and-see approach and reserved its tickets for the elections. The aim is to identify and select the most promising candidates who have the best chance of winning, sources said.
The report stated that the BJP had planned to announce its list of candidates closer to the nomination process for the Karnataka elections to avoid defections of disgruntled leaders if they do not receive tickets. By delaying the announcement, the party hopes to carefully consider all options and select the best candidates who have a higher chance of winning, the report stated.
‘Clean Image’
In light of the corruption allegations levelled against the state government, the BJP has stated that it will prioritise candidates with a clean image and no history of corruption cases for the upcoming elections.
Sources said the party will not hesitate to field candidates from rival parties such as the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) if they are deemed suitable for victory in the upcoming elections.
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