BJP fifth list: Shettar from Belagavi, Kageri from Uttara Kannada; Anantkumar Hegde dropped

BENGALURU: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released its fifth list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.

In Karnataka, the party has fielded former chief minister Jagadish Shettar from Belagavi, who recently rejoined BJP from Congress. Raja Amareshwar Naik will contest from Raichur. Former Karnataka Assembly Speaker Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri has been given a ticket from the Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha seat and Dr K Sudhakar will be contesting from Chikkaballapur.

The BJP has not announced the candidate for Chitradurga Lok Sabha constituency where there is a strong fight between sitting MP A Narayana Swamy and Janardhana Swamy. The Sangh Parivar is said to be in support of  Janardana Swamy while Govind Karjol is also said to be in the reckoning. Therefore, there is huge curiosity among the public about the party’s choice.

ಚಿಕ್ಕಬಳ್ಳಾಪುರ ಲೋಕಸಭಾ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಯಾಗಿ ಸ್ಪರ್ಧಿಸಲು ನನಗೆ ಅವಕಾಶ ನೀಡಿರುವ ಸನ್ಮಾನ್ಯ ಪ್ರಧಾನಿ ಶ್ರೀ @narendramodi ಜಿ, ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಗೃಹ ಸಚಿವ ಶ್ರೀ @AmitShah ಜಿ, ನಮ್ಮ ಪಕ್ಷದ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ @JPNadda ಜಿ, ಹಾಗೂ ನಮ್ಮ ಪಕ್ಷದ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಸಂಘಟನಾ ಪ್ರಧಾನ ಕಾರ್ಯದರ್ಶಿಗಳಾದ ಶ್ರೀ @blsanthosh… https://t.co/CtAzmeOq4g

— Dr Sudhakar K (@DrSudhakar_) March 24, 2024

As was expected in Uttara Kannada constituency, Anantkumar Hegde, who returned to the public scene only recently, has been given the miss. There was outrage against Hegde from his own party activists in the constituency. Therefore, the party has picked Kageri, the former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, this instead of Hegde.

The candidate for the Chikkaballapur seat, Dr K Sudhakar, was picked by the party high command after taking into consideration the BJP’s strength and Sudhakar’s influence in the constituency, it is said.

For Belagavi, the party has selected Jagdish Shettar instead of sitting MP Mangala Angadi. Jagdish Shettar left the Congress and returned to the BJP despite opposition from locals and got the ticket on Yediyurappa’s insistence, it is said. Former CM Yediyurappa has decided to hold meetings with local leaders and sources said that a strategy will be chalked out next week itself.