JD(S) rides piggyback on rebellion in Cong, BJP

The JD(S) seems to have made the best of the rebellion in the Congress and the refusal of tickets for aspirants in BJP.

On the last day of filing nomination, Congress loyalist Vasanth Salian entered the fray as the JD(S) candidate in Kaup, Udupi district. The JD(S) has not fielded its candidate against Haladi Srinivas Shetty, a former BJP legislator, who is contesting as an Independent this time. The party said, its gesture was in ‘favour of Haladi.’

Salian, a former minister and former Congress MLA made futile attempts to get ticket from Kaup where the party favoured former Lok Sabha member Vinay Kumar Sorake. The JD(S) has no base in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. Due to infights in the party, some candidates decided to keep away from the polls.

Another rebel

Another Congress rebel who has become the JD(S) candidate is A Krishnappa. He filed the papers in Hiriyur, Chitradurga district after the Congress denied him the ticket to contest from KR Puram.

Cashing in on the rebels in Davangere, the JD(S) gave ‘B’ form to Syed Saifulla, who failed to get the ticket for Davangere South. He is an ex-councillor and had unsuccessfully contested Assembly elections in the past. 

The JD(S) has fielded former BJP legislator Belur Gopala Krishna from Sagar against Kagodu Thimmappa of the Congress.

Film producer Anand Balakrishna Appugol, who was bitter after not getting the Congress ticket, is now the JD (S) nominee in Kittur. 

No candidate in Deodurg

The party has fielded candidates in 222 constituencies, while supporting an Independent candidate in Udupi. It has not fielded a candidate in Deodurg, Raichur district.

Party State president H D Kumaraswamy said that the party wanted to field Meti Vakeel from Deodurg, but he met with an accident. The party had no alternative, he added.

Asked on denying ticket to Krishna, former Speaker, Kumaraswamy said: “We should have given ticket to him. But due to some reasons and also pressure, we could not field him.” Krishna is now contesting independently.

He said that the rebel factor in the Congress has become an advantage for the JD (S). The BJP is also in disarray which would eventually benefit the JD (S), he claimed.