Gowda is the third senior BJP leader to announce retirement ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, adding credence to talks that the party is planning to replace sitting MPs citing age, ill-health, or performance.
In June this year, Gowda expressed his frustration against BJP for doing little to spike rumours that 13 sitting MPs would be denied tickets.
Haveri MP Shivakumar Udasi, although relatively young, was the first to announce hanging up of his boots. Chamarajanagar MP V Srinivas Prasad, too, has declared retirement. Chikballapur MP BN Bachegowda, who has fallen out of favour with BJP, has decided to quit. His son Sharath Bachegowda is a Congress MLA.
There is speculation over whether or not Ramesh Jigajinagi (Bijapur), Ananthkumar Hegde (Uttara Kannada), GS Basavaraju (Tumkur), Raja Amareshwara Naik (Raichur), Karadi Sanganna (Koppal), GM Siddeshwar (Davangere), CP Gaddigoudar (Bagalkot) and Mangala Angadi (Belgaum) will get the ticket in 2024.
According to sources, Naik (66) and Hegde (55) may have to bargain harder if they want to contest the polls again because of their indifference towards party activities.
Recently, senior BJP lawmaker Basanagouda Patil Yatnal said eight sitting MPs may voluntarily decide not to contest the Lok Sabha polls next year.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Karnataka was a success story for BJP that won 25 out of 28 seats.
In the Assembly election, BJP’s ambitious decision to field 75 fresh faces fell flat on its face as only 14 of them won. The saffron party had denied Assembly ticket to 24 MLAs. They could win only 10 out of these 24 seats.