JOIN USJD(S) likely to drop some candidates from first list
The HD Deve Gowda-led JD(S), which was the first party to announce Assembly tickets in 93 constituencies, is likely to change candidates in 5-6 seats over the next week.
JD(S) legislature party leader HD Kumaraswamy, who chaired a meeting on Saturday, indicated that candidates in a few constituencies were not meeting the party's expectations and that they could be dropped.
In a meeting with the 93 candidates, Kumaraswamy directed them to be proactive, take up door-to-door campaigning and visit rural areas to connect with voters. The former chief minister also asked them to create awareness about the loan waiver scheme given to farmers during the JD(S)-Congress coalition he headed.
Expressing dissatisfaction with a few candidates who were apathetic, Kumaraswamy said unless they picked up pace, they would be replaced. "You cannot sit at home and expect to win elections," he said. He also took to task a few district presidents who were occupying the post for years but could not come up with suitable candidates for the election.
The party is also likely to deny tickets to two sitting senior lawmakers - AT Ramaswamy (Arkalgud) and KM Shivalinge Gowda (Arasikere). The two MLAs have kept distance from the JD(S) of late, indicating that they might quit the party.
The party has decided to give the Arkalgud ticket to former minister A Manju, Kumaraswamy said. Manju was a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government and switched to the BJP and contested the 2019 Hassan Lok Sabha election unsuccessfully.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the untimely death of its Sindagi candidate Shivanand Patil, Kumaraswamy said the party had decided to give the ticket to his wife Vishalakshi.
The party is also yet to announce candidates in Hassan, a district that is expected to witness a fierce poll battle. A decision will be taken in the coming days, Kumaraswamy said.
Amid rumours that his brother HD Revanna's wife Bhavani Revanna would contest from the Hassan segment against the BJP's Preetham Gowda, Kumaraswamy said no such decision was taken and the family would meet soon to discuss.