Bigwigs lobby for party tickets

 A number of sitting MPs, former MPs and MLAs in all major political parties are learnt to have shown keen interest to contest the next Assembly elections in the State.

Prominent among them are Bangalore Rural MP H D Kumaraswamy, Mandya MP Cheluvarayaswamy (both JD-S), Rajya Sabha MP Anil Lad, Mysore MP H Vishwanath (both Congress) and Uttara Kannada MP Ananth Hegde (BJP).

Kumaraswamy and Cheluvarayaswamy are likely to contest from Ramanagar and Nagamangala Assembly constituencies respectively, while Lad and Vishwanath are planning to contest from Bellary City and K R Nagar constituencies respectively.

Hegde is said to be keen to fight the Assembly polls from Sirsi-Siddapura seat, sources said.

Among former MPs in the JD(S), C Narayanaswamy, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and H K Javare Gowda are learnt to have sought tickets from Hebbal, Bijapur City and Belur constituencies respectively. It is said H D Revanna’s wife Bhavani is eager to contest from Belur. But party chief H D Deve Gowda is not said to be in favour of it.

In the Congress, former MP M H Ambareesh is eying Srirangapatna Assembly seat, Tejaswini Ramesh, former MP, wants to contest from Bangalore South and C K Jaffer Sharief has sought the party ticket to contest from Sarvagnanagar, sources said.