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Confident that name will come in next list: Shettar
The BJP has so far put out a list of 212 candidates for the assembly elections, and has not yet announced the names in 12 seats
Former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar said on Saturday he is confident his name will appear in the next list of assembly election candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a day after he warned the party that leaving him out would cost BJP 20-25 seats.
Shettar’s seeming change in stance comes at a time when BJP has battled intense rebellion among those not picked as contestants.
The BJP has so far put out a list of 212 candidates for the Assembly election and has not yet announced the names in 12 seats. The constituencies where it is yet to pick a contender includes Hubli-Dharwad Central, where Shettar hopes to fight from.
“The party has to ensure that it should not have any negative impact. Even former CM BS Yediyurappa has said that if Shettar does not get a ticket, it will have a bearing not in just one place…but in many constituencies in north Karnataka — at least 20 to 25 constituencies,” Shettar said.
“I am still hopeful of bagging the ticket (from Hubli-Dharwad Central segment) and, as of now, no discussions are ongoing with any other party,” Shettar said after the meeting.
“I believe in the high command and am hopeful of receiving a positive signal (on his candidature) from them. I haven’t yet opened discussions with any other political party,” Shetter added.
On Friday, 16 councillors, including Deputy Mayor of Hubballi-Dharwad Uma Mukund, and former Mayor Viranna Savadi, sent resignations to BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel in a bid to pressurise the party on Shettar.
Along with them, 49 office-bearers, including state office-bearers of various morchas, sent their resignations to Kateel. Almost all party-office bearers of the Hubballi Dharwad Central assembly constituency and various wings of Hubballi-Dharwad Mahanagar Zilla unit are among those who tendered their resignations.
Responding to this development, Shettar said he was grateful to them for showing their affection towards him. “They (councillors) have expressed their displeasure. They are hurt. For them, it’s enough now. Their feelings are hurt so they are expressing their anger by resigning from the municipal corporation,” Shettar, who was also an assembly speaker, said.
