Will BJP veterans make way for youth? MLAs wait with bated breath

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The BJP’s ticket distribution for the Gujarat Assembly polls, which are due in December, has not only raised eyebrows but has also created anxiety among party bigwigs in Karnataka, fearing veterans would be sidelined in favour of younger candidates.

The BJP recently released its first candidate list for elections in the western state. To the shock of many, it had excluded 38 sitting MLAs. Heavyweights like chief minister Vijay Rupani, ex-deputy CM Nitin Patel, ministers Bhupendersinh Chudasama and Pradeepsinh Jadeja saw which way the winds were blowing and pre-emptively declared that would not be seeking tickets.

Tickets for 166 out of 182 seats have been distributed so far for the poll-bound western state. These developments have coincided with the saffron party setting 75 as the age of retirement. However, senior BJP leaders over 65 are also feeling the heat. If these sexagenarians were denied tickets, about 20 incumbent MLAs would lose out.

Jagadish Shettar (66) from Hubballi-Dharwad Central, ex-deputy CM KS Eshwarappa (74) from Shivamogga, Mahadevappa Yadwad (82) representing Ramdurg, CM Nimbannavar (71) from Kalaghatagi, SA Ravindranath (76) in Davanagere North would all be affected.

Eshwarappa was of course implicated in the suicide of Belagavi-based contractor Santosh Patil, who had named the bigwig for money being withheld from him for services rendered. He has gotten a clean chit since but has been miffed for not being re-inducted into the cabinet. He has even made public comments on the same.

Two-time CM BS Yediyurappa aged 79 sees it differently. After stepping down as CM, he favours phasing out his role in active politics and vacating his constituency Shikarupura for his son Vijayendra. He has since tried to downplay talk of his retirement by participating in the saffron party’s ‘Janaspandana’ rallies and going on record to say that the party high command would decide who would get tickets.