Karnataka polls: Family politics writ large in BJP list

The BJP’s narrative against ‘Parivarvaad’ (Family politics) is not set in stone going by the list of 212 candidates for the May 10 Assembly election.

At least two dozen tickets went to candidates who come from 10 political families. This includes father-son, brothers and family relatives.

The Jarkiholi brothers - Ramesh and Balachandra - have been given BJP tickets. Late minister Umesh Katti’s family got two tickets - his son Nikhil Katti and brother Ramesh Katti.

Mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy’s brothers Somashekhar Reddy (Bellary City) and Karunakar Reddy (Harappanahalli) are BJP candidates.

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Minister Shashikala Jolle (Nippani MLA) is the wife of Chikkodi MP Annasaheb Jolle.

Gulbarga MP Umesh Jadhav’s son Avinash Jadhav is the Chincholi BJP candidate. Tumkur MP GS Basavaraj’s son Jyoti Ganesh is the Tumkur City MLA.

Tourism Minister Anand Singh’s son Siddharth Singh has replaced him as the Vijayanagar candidate.

Basavanagudi MLA LA Ravi Subramanya is Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya’s uncle.

Transport Minister B Sriramulu and his nephew T H Suresh Babu are both candidates.

BJP strongman B S Yediyurappa’s son B Y Vijayendra is the Shikaripura candidate. Vijayendra’s brother B Y Raghavendra is the Shimoga MP.

Mocking the BJP, Congress has drawn up a list of 34 “dynasts” who got the tickets.

“One of every six candidates announced by the BJP is blessed with Parivarvaad,” AICC spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said. “34 out of 212 candidates announced by BJP till now are there on the list due to nepotism,” he charged.

Congress leaders widely circulated the BJP’s list of family ties to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scorn towards Parivarvaad, a jibe widely used to target Congress and the Gandhi family. Apparently, Modi discouraged ‘Parivarvaad’ during the selection of BJP candidates for the May 10 Assembly election.

“I agree there are some instances in BJP where the children of a leader have been given tickets,” BJP general secretary N Ravi Kumar said. “But look at the diversity in the BJP when it comes to national leadership positions and compare that to Congress or JD(S). In these two parties, families run the whole show,” he said.