Bengaluru, March 13 – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to announce the candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka on Wednesday.
Sources said BJP is likely to announce candidates for 15 to 18 Lok Sabh constituencies of the state. The supporters of Mysuru-Kodagu MP Seat Pratap Simha have decided to stage a protest on Wednesday following the news that his name has been dropped from the list.
Simha’s followers have also started social media campaigns highlighting his contributions in the last 10 years. They have also brought in caste angle and claimed that a young leader from a humble background hailing from Vokkaliga community has been denied the ticket which will curtail his growth.
Former Minister K.S. Eshwarappa has also called his supporters’ meeting on Friday to discuss the future course of action if the ticket is denied to his son Kanthesh from the Haveri Lok Sabha seat.
Sources said that former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is likely to get the ticket from Haveri.
Former Chief Minister D.V. Sadananada Gowda, presently representing Bengaluru North seat is being approached by Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. He is being given a choice to contest the Lok Sabha election either from Bengaluru North or some other seat in Bengaluru city as a Congress candidate, sources said.
Meanwhile, the Union Ministers of State Shobha Karandlaje (Udupi-Chikkamagaluru) and Bhagwant Khuba (Bidar) are also facing “go-back” campaigns in their constituencies by BJP workers.
Former BJP General Secretary C.T. Ravi has been summoned to New Delhi by the party high command. Ravi lost assembly elections from Chikkamagaluru assembly seat.
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