We will win 24 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats: Former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday claimed that the party will win 24 out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.

“Yesterday, Amit Shah, the party’s national president J P Nadda and I have discussed all the Lok Sabha constituencies (of Karnataka), but so far nothing has been finalised. I think they may discuss this with the PM. After that, they’ll come to some conclusion and in 2-3 days everything will be finalised…I am 100 per cent confident that we are going to win 24 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats. We are putting all our efforts”, he said.

On Wednesday, the BJP’s Central Election Committee (CEC) met to decide on the candidates for the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. The BJP had came out with its first list of 195 candidates across 16 States and Union Territories on March 2.

In the 2019 General Elections, the BJP had won 25 out of the 28 seats. The Congress, and the JD(S), headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, fought the Lok Sabha elections together and both parties won only one seat each. The remaining seat was won by an independent candidate.

Meanwhile, the Congress party’s central election committee is also holding a meeting on March 7 in New Delhi, where it will finalise the first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha election in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

“We will have our final central election committee meeting on March 7. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and I are going to Delhi on March 7 where we will finalise the (first) list of candidates,” he said.

Both he and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had held a meeting with the Congress general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, on Monday.

The Congress had scored a thumping victory in Assembly elections held in May 2023. The Lok Sabha polls are likely to be held in April-May this year. (ANI)