Shobha, Udasi's son likely to join BJP core committee

Election panel to meet on February 14

The State BJP core committee will be reconstituted this week with the likely induction of former minister Shobha Karandlaje and Haveri MP Shivakumar Udasi into the highest decision-making body of the party.

At present, the core committee comprises party State president Pralhad Joshi, senior leaders Jagadish Shettar, B S Yeddyurappa, D V Sadananda Gowda, H N Ananth Kumar, R Ashoka, K S Eshwarappa, V Satish and Santosh. Karandlaje and Shivakumar Udasi, who is the son of former minister C M Udasi, are likely to be inducted into the panel at the instance of Yeddyurappa. 

The party election committee is also likely to be expanded this week, party sources said. The election committee will meet in Bangalore on February 14 to sort out the stalemate in selection of candidates for some key constituencies, including Bangalore North, Mysore and Tumkur, the sources added. 

In Bangalore North, heavyweights Sadananda Gowda and Ashoka have evinced their interest to contest. Sitting MP D B Chandre Gowda has been sulking for being sidelined. In Mysore, former ministers Shobha Karandlaje, C H Vijayashankar and A Ramdas are lobbying hard to get the tickets. A majority of the BJP State leaders are against the candidature of sitting MP G S Basavaraju from the Tumkur constituency. 

Yeddyurappa has been insisting that Basavaraju be allowed to recontest while others are in favour of former minister Sogadu Shivanna or former MSIL chairperson M D Nandeesh.