Karnataka assembly elections: BJP's 1st list likely on Tuesday

BENGALURU/NEW DELHI: The BJP on Saturday began its exercise to finalise candidates for the assembly elections scheduled for May 10. Some MLAs may be denied tickets in a bid to beat anti-incumbency, sources said.
The BJP's central election committee headed by national president JP Nadda, which met on Saturday, held a marathon discussion on candidates. Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, his predecessor BS Yediyurappa, who is also a member of the party's election committee, and state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel were present. Sources said the committee shortlisted over 150 candidates.
The names will be sent to the parliamentary board, the highest decision-making body of the BJP, which will meet on Sunday night and finalise candidates. The meeting will be held soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns to the national capital after his Karnataka visit on Sunday. "In all likelihood, the first list of 150 to 170 candidates will be announced on Tuesday," said a BJP functionary.
The Congress and the JD(S) have already announced candidates for 166 and 93 seats, respectively. Both are waiting for the BJP to make the list public before deciding on the remaining seats.
The filing of nominations will start on April 13, the day when the Election Commission will issue a notification for the elections.
The BJP is taking time to finalise candidates owing to multiple aspirants in several seats and the party's plan to change a few MLAs. In Belagavi district alone, the party faces an uphill task in finalising candidates for 3-4 seats. In Athani, neither MLA Mahesh Kumathalli nor former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi are willing to let go despite repeated attempts by senior party functionaries. Former MLAs Jagadish Metagud and Vishwanath are fighting for Bailhongal ticket. In Savadatti, the party is of two minds about fielding a family member of Anand Mamani, a BJP MLA who passed away a few months ago.
The party is also mulling denying tickets to old guards like KS Eshwarappa, GH Thippareddy, and a few MLAs, including Basavaraj Mattimadu, Basavaraj Dadesugur, MP Kumaraswamy, Nehru Olekar, and some from coastal and central Karnataka regions. "Talks are on in this regard, but the party may decide otherwise too based on surveys commissioned directly by the leadership," said an office-bearer.