Council seat candidacy new headache for BJP-JD(S)

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: The February 16 by-poll to the Teachers constituency in the Council has emerged as a point of friction between allies BJP and JD(S).

Last week, during a party meeting, JD(S) MLC HM Ramesh Gowda had called upon the party’s state legal unit president AP Ranganath to contest as the joint candidate for the seat.

However, the BJP isn’t happy with the suggestion and seeks to field its own candidate.

Two names have emerged in the party’s state unit namely Ashwathnarayan Gowda and AR Sapthagiri Gowda. Ashwathnarayan had lost from the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha seat to DK Suresh, the brother of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, back in 2019.

He is a contender for the BJP ticket again but is also an aspirant for the Council by-poll. The differences caused JD(S) and state BJP leaders to meet at former CM BS Yediyurappa’s house this past Sunday.

It is said that the BJP will abide by the decision of the high command over who gets to contest from the Teachers constituency and the other Council seats to follow.

Moreover, the seat sharing arrangement for the Lok Sabha elections has also been a tough pill to swallow for the local BJP workers, especially in Old Mysuru region, which is home to a sizable number of Vokkaligas, a section of whom vote for the JD(S).

The saffron party high command has been willing to concede three seats to the regional outfit. JD(S) MP from Hassan Prajwal Revanna has been given the green light to contest from his seat again.

Also, it is all but certain that JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamy will contest from Mandya.