Eshwarappa BJP's likely nominee to Council polls

Former deputy chief minister K S Eshwarappa is likely to be the State BJP’s nominee to the Legislative Council in the elections to be held some time next month, wherein members of the Lower House will form the electoral college.

Eshwarappa’s candidature was discussed at the party’s core committee meeting in Bangalore on Tuesday. Eshwarappa had lost the 2013 Assembly polls from the Shimoga constituency. He had been pushed to the third position behind K B Prasanna Kumar of the Congress (winner) and S Rudre Gowda of the KJP (runner-up).

Seven MLCs elected from the Legislative Assembly constituency will be retiring on June 30 this year. As many as 29 MLAs are required to elect one MLC. The BJP, which has 44 members in the Lower House, can elect one MLC on its own and will be left with 15 surplus votes. A final decision on Eshwarappa’s candidature will be taken after discussion with the party central leadership, party sources said. There are chances of Eshwarappa being appointed the Leader of Opposition in the Council, if the incumbent D V Sadananda Gowda gets elected to the Lok Sabha. Gowda has contested from the Bangalore North parliamentary seat.

Élections for two seats each from the graduates’ and the teachers’ constituencies will also have to be held next month. Briefing reporters after the core committee meeting, BJP State president Pralhad Joshi said the party had shortlisted the names of Shashil G Namoshi (Gulbarga teachers’ constituency), sitting MLC A H Shivayogiswamy (Davangere graduates’ constituency) and Neelaiah (Bangalore teachers’ constituency). The candidate for Dharwad graduates’ constituency will be finalised after the return of former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who is on a private visit abroad, Joshi said.

Namoshi, a four-time MLC, had quit the BJP to join the JD(S) last year after he was denied a party ticket to contest from the Gulbarga South Assembly seat. He later rejoined the BJP. Neelaiah had unsuccessfully contested the MLC election from Bangalore teachers’ constituency in 2008.

Besides Joshi, Tuesday’s meeting was attended by senior leaders, including D V Sadananda Gowda, B S Yeddyurappa, H N Ananth Kumar, R Ashoka among others.