Resentment over BJP candidate’s selection for Basavakalyan bypoll

A day after the BJP announced its nominee for the April 17 bypoll to Basavakalyan Assembly segment, resentment over candidate selection reared its head with a section of party leaders and workers hitting the streets in protest.

The BJP leadership picked Sharanu Salagar as party candidate for Basavakalyan Assembly by-election.

Former MLA Mallikarjun Khuba, who was one of the aspirants of the party ticket, on Friday endorsed former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy's remarks that a deal had been struck for the BJP ticket to the Basavakalyan seat.

Read | JD(S), BJP ploy to split votes in Basavakalyan: Siddaramaiah

Kumaraswamy had on Thursday alleged that a BJP ticket aspirant had paid huge money to the party high command for the Basavakalyan bypoll ticket.

"Having faith in BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, I had jumped ship from JD(S) to the BJP. Now, the ticket has been issued to an outsider, ignoring me" Mallikarjun Khuba lamented.

Khuba said he would chalk out future course of action after consulting his supporters.

Meanwhile, hundreds of BJP workers staged a protest in Basavakalyan town on Friday against the party leadership and Bidar MP Bhagawanth Khuba for fielding Sharanu Salagar for the bypoll.