JOIN USA meeting of State BJP leaders held here is understood to have considered the names of former ministers Murugesh Nirani and A Narayanaswamy for the Bagalkot and Chitradurga Lok Sabha constituencies indicating that not all sitting MPs would be given ticket to contest the 2014 polls."
In the present Lok Sabha, the Bagalkot seat is represented by P C Gaddigoudar and the Chitradurga seat by Janardhana Swamy. Another sitting MP, who is likely to face internal competition when it comes to securing ticket, is Shivaramegowda (Koppal parliamentary constituency) as the party is considering former minister Shivanagouda Naik.
State BJP leaders on Friday began collecting inputs from local units for each of the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. The process was completed for 13 Lok Sabha constituencies on Friday and the remaining will be taken up on Saturday.
Party sources said the two-day process is only an opinion gathering exercise and the final list of candidates would be finalised by the BJP Parliamentary Board.
Nirani, Narayanaswamy and Naik had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections and have been lobbying for party ticket. Friday’s meeting was attended by former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, his first high-level meeting after he quit the BJP to launch his own party. Party leaders Pralhad Joshi, D V Sadananda Gowda and Jagadish Shettar participated in the meeting. Ananth Kumar could not make it as he was participating in the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting in New Delhi.
Former minister C T Ravi and Revu Naik Belamagi were considered for Udupi-Chikmagalur and Gulbarga segments. These two constituencies are presently held by the Congress MPs.
However, seven sitting MPs (among the 13 constituencies discussed on Friday) are likely to be given ticket. These include H N Ananth Kumar (Bangalore South), Pralhad Joshi (Dharwad), Ramesh Jigajinagi (Bijapur), Nalin Kumar Kateel (Dakshina Kannada), Ramesh Katti (Chikkodi), Suresh Angadi (Belgaum) and G M Siddesh (Davangere). The BJP is yet to take a decision on former minister Gurupadappa Nagamarapalli’s demand that his son Suryakanth Narayan be given the BJP ticket to contest from the Bidar Lok Sabha constituency.
In a related development, it is learnt that former Union minister V Dhananjay Kumar, who had associated himself with the KJP, may find it difficult to get a re-entry into the BJP. Kumar had openly criticised senior leader L K Advani and State leaders are said to be averse that he be invited to the party openly. They have sought an public apology from Kumar on his remarks and then seek re-entry into BJP.