LS polls: Ticket aspirants keep their fingers crossed

BJP dilly-dallies on candidates, JD(S) yet to take a decision

With Lok Sabha polls round the croner, major political parties are giving finishing touches to the first list of candidates expected to be announced within a week or so. The Mysore and Kodagu Parliamentary seat has assumed significance yet again, given that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hails from Mysore district.

If one were to go by the decision of the Mysore District Congress (City) Committee, incumbent MP A H Vishwanath, a Kuruba, is the sole ticket aspirant. Also, panel advocate from the State in Supreme Court, who is arguing the Cauvery River water dispute Brijesh Kalappa is learnt to have dashed off a letter to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President G Parameshwara seeking ticket from Mysore. Kalappa is a native of Kodagu district.

The saffron party that is riding high on the wave of its prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has three aspirants, according to the list submitted by the district core committee to the State body. Prominent among them are sitting MLC C H Vijayashankar (Kuruba), Virajpet MLA Appachu Ranjan (Kodava) and also former MLC K R Mallikarjunappa (Lingayat). Vijayashankar, also a former MP had earlier represented the constituency in the Parliament for two terms in 1998 and 2004, and had lost in 1999 and 2009 polls.

Appachhu Ranjan, one of the prominent leaders from the land of coffee, was also a minister in the previous BJP government. Mallikarjunappa who had followed former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa into Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) has returned to the parent party along with his mentor. He was an MLC from Mysore-Chamarajanagar seat, who later quit and unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections in 2013 on the KJP ticket.

With the names of former chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda, former ministers Shobha Karandlaje and S A Ramdas also doing rounds, anything might happen at the eleventh hour, said a party leader.

Janata Dal (Secular), is still undecided about its nominees. According to sources, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy has decided on fielding either a Lingayat or Muslim candidate. A former MLC is said to cross over to the JD(S). The party however is all set to show off its strength during the Backward Classes meet in the city on Sunday.

This is the second election to the Parliament after delimitation, where Mysore and Kodagu were merged together as one constituency. Of the 11 Assembly constituencies in Mysore, only six come under the Lok Sabha belt, while two are from Kodagu- Madikeri and Virajpet. Interestingly, though Siddaramaiah represents Varuna in Mysore district in the Assembly, post delimitation it comes under Chamarajanagar LS segment along with H D Kote, T Narsipur and Nanjangud taluks. The remaining taluk, K R Nagar constituency, is part of Mandya LS seat.

The total electorate is about 15 lakh (including the recent enrolment of one lakh), with Vokkaligas topping the list, followed by Dalits, Muslims, Kurubas, Lingayats among others.