Karnataka Election 2023 LIVE: Massive Revolt in BJP Over Tickets After 1st List; Top Leader Quits, 1,200 Workers Also Leave Party

After being denied the ticket for the Karnataka elections, Jagadish Shettar met BJP chief JP Nadda. “I expressed my view to contest the elections. Nadda is going to discuss it with other leaders and then come to a conclusion,” he said.

Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections on May 10, some villages in the Sullia constituency have been left disgruntled with the inefficiency of their MLA. S Angara, who is a six-time MLA from Sullia, represents the constituency and people have decided to boycott the upcoming elections if S Angara is given a ticket again. READ MORE

The town of Chikkanayakanahalli is located at a distance of 132 kilometres from Bengaluru. The average literacy rate in Chikkanayakanahalli is 70%. The male literacy is 76% and female literacy is 64%. The population under the age of six makes up 11% of Chikkanayakanahalli. READ MORE

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai visited the Manjunatha temple at Dharmasthala today and offered prayers.

BJP leader and former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar met Union Minister Pralhad Joshi in Delhi. Shettar has been denied the ticket for the Karnataka elections.

Union Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday chaired a meeting to finalise the candidates for the remaining 35 seats for the Karnataka Assembly elections.

The list of the remaining seats is expected to be released on Thursday as per the sources, IANS reported.

After days of suspense and a series of meetings, the BJP high command in consultation with RSS has released its first list of 189 candidates on Tuesday night. Though the list has several new names, the BJP has not made any big change in its strongholds and repeated most sitting MLAs in North, Central, Bengaluru City and parts of Coastal Karnataka. READ MORE

Karnataka leader CT Ravi, who will contest from the Chikmagalur constituency, on Wednesday hailed the Bharatiya Janata Party for giving an opportunity to 52 new faces in its first list of 189 candidates for the May 10 Karnataka assembly elections. Ravi, who is the BJP’s national general secretary, said the party is strong on the ground in the poll-bound state and keeps doing new experiments. READ MORE

The Congress won’t allow a time to come when the BJP can raise the slogan of “One Nation, One Milk”, the opposition party said on Wednesday while accusing the Centre of seeking “enforced cooperation” between Amul and Karnataka Milk Federation brand Nandini.

Minister and six-time MLA S Angara from Sullia constitiuency in Dakshina Kannada district announced his retirement from politics on Wednesday, a day after he was denied a ticket by the party for the May 10 Karnataka assembly election.

A visibly aggrieved Angara said that this was not the way an MLA who toiled for the party with dedication is treated.

Udupi MLA Raghupati Bhat, who has been denied a ticket by the BJP to contest in the Assembly elections, on Wednesday said he was deeply pained by the treatment meted out to him by the party.

“I am not sad over the party’s decision, but I am pained by the way the party has treated me,” Bhat said. He broke into tears while speaking to the media. (PTI)

By deciding to field 52 new faces in the upcoming May 10 election and dropping around a dozen sitting MLAs, the BJP is also looking at trying out the famous ‘Gujarat model’. It also plans to give the voters of Karnataka a “fresh, new alternative” to choose from. As some state leaders had put it, the party was trying to “remove the deadwood” and “bring in new petals” in the BJP’s lotus pond. READ MORE

Congress leader and former Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa said he has never expected that her daughter Dr Rajanandini will join the BJP.

“I heard this news now. I never expected that she (Dr Rajanandini) will do like this. It’s unfortunate. There must be something behind this. It could be Hartalu Halappa’s (BJP leader) tactics. I’ll try to speak to her. I will always stand in favour of Congress, I’ll work for Congress party,” he said, as quoted by ANI.

BJP veteran and former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa said out of 159 seats that were announced yesterday, we will win 125-130 seats. “We are happy with the announcement. We will form govt in Karnataka,” he said

BJP veteran and former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa said that Jagadish Shettar will be given an election ticket, ANI reported.

Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar alleged more than one lakh additional votes have been added in one Assembly segment. He said he will approach the Election Commission.

Dr Rajanandini, daughter of veteran Congress leader and former Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa, has joined BJP in the presence of party leader and former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa.

In big jolt to the BJP, former Karnataka deputy CM Laxman Savadi quit the party in revolt over being denied ticket for the upcoming state assembly poll.

This development comes as another top leader of the state party unit, Karnataka’s former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, is scheduled to meet Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda around 2 pm amid disappointment within the party post the release of first list of candidates for upcoming state elections.

“I am going to Delhi because Nadda had dialled me. He asked me to come over for a discussion. I am hoping for a positive outcome. Whatever will happen, will be for the good of the party. In the coming days, the party high command and state leaders will specify everything,” Shettar said.

The former CM further said that has already met BS Yediyurappa, who was in Delhi for meetings to finalise tickets for the May 10 Karnataka assembly elections. “I am going directly to Delhi as my flight is delayed. I will meet Yediyurappa again after coming from the national capital,” he added. READ MORE

In another jolt to the Bharatiya Janata Party, former minister R Shankar has decided to resign from the post of MLC over failure to get a ticket from Ranebennur constituency for upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.

Shankar on Wednesday approached speaker Basavaraj Horatti to offer his resignation. He is likely to contest polls as an Independent from Ranebennur. BJP had, a day ago, announced ticket for MLA Arun Kumar from the constituency that upset the MLC.

Shankar was picked as a minister in the Congress-JDS alliance government after he pledged his support to the alliance following his victory from Ranebennur assembly seat 2018 on a Pragnyavantha Janatha Party ticket. READ MORE

Amid massive outrage in BJP from leaders who have not been named in the first list of candidates for Karnataka polls, party MP Tejasvi Surya said that BJP has multiple opportunities for all those who want to contribute to the nation.

“BJP has given tickets to 52 new leaders. I am confident that all new leaders will understand the principles that have gone behind the selection of candidates. The party has multiple opportunities for all those who want to contribute to the nation,” Tejasvi Surya said.