Turncoats keep BJP wary ahead of ZP, TP elections

Wary of turncoats, the BJP has decided to exercise caution while selecting candidates for the upcoming Zilla and Taluk Panchayat elections.

The BJP had to face embarrassment among its ranks after it lost control of two urban local bodies in Koppal and Bagalkot, as the party-backed candidates jumped ship at the last moment.

Though a substantial portion of the state BJP unit’s poll machinery is currently focused on winning the April 17 bypolls in three constituencies - Belgaum Lok Sabha and Maski, Basavakalyan assembly - preliminary efforts are also on to select candidates for Zilla and Taluk Panchayat polls, which are yet to be announced.

Ashwathnarayan, state BJP general secretary told DH, “There is no doubt that we have to choose winning candidates. However, the party’s state president Nalin Kumar Kateel has directed that incharges of the local body polls to select candidates faithful to the BJP ideals.”

Based on these directions, the process of filtering candidates likely to be fielded by the saffron party is on, he said.

According to sources, the state BJP leaders are holding meetings in various districts to review preparations and the suitability of the candidates.

“There are minor differences over candidate selection between old karyakartas of the party and those who joined BJP recently. All concerns are being addressed by holding meetings at the district level,” a source said.

Elections are due for the local bodies, as the state government recently notified the new Zilla Panchayat constituencies following a delimitation exercise. The ruling BJP faced an embarrassment in November last year after its members defied the party whip in elections to president and vice-president posts of the Koppal Zilla Panchayat, and Gangavathi City Municipal Council. It had sought the suspension of six councillors with the district administration, despite the fact that only six months of the term was left.

The dissidence came in a district where three MLAs and sitting MP are from the BJP.

Similar developments had hurt BJP in Bagalkot last year.