Except BSY, no Assembly poll ticket for sitting BJP MPs

After the massive victory in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, BJP has started the ground work on winning Karnataka and has decided not to field any sitting MPs, barring B S Yeddyurappa, in the Assembly polls next year.

Several MPs including Pratap Simha, Shobha Karandlaje, B Sriramulu, P C Mohan, Karadi Sanganna, Suresh Angadi, Ananth Kumar Hegde and G M Siddeshwara have expressed their inclination to fight Assembly polls, due early next year, by quitting Parliament membership. 

While rejecting their pleas, the party’s national president Amit Shah reportedly told the state leaders the prime minister does not want bypolls for Lok Sabha seats, when the country is going to face general elections in 2019.

With Shivamogga MP, Yeddyurappa, being the state president and the party having declared him as the chief ministerial candidate, he will be allowed to contest the Assembly elections, Shah reportedly told the state leaders, asking the MPs to work hard for the victory of the party candidates in their respective Lok Sabha segments.

“Some MPs are desperately trying to become MLAs as they are feeling isolated in Delhi as they are not well versed in Hindi.

Besides, a few leaders feel they were irrelevant in national politics as it is always dominated by politicians from the Hindi heartland,” said an MP.

Shah is likely to take the responsibility of distribution of tickets, instead of leaving it to state leaders. With the party’s victory in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, dissident activities will come to a halt and all state leaders will fall in line, a senior leader said.  
DH News Service