Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Mar 13: If the BJP high command permits, Umesh Jadhav, a two-time legislator who recently quit Congress and joined BJP, is likely to contest Lok Sabha elections against Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge in Kalaburagi, while Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, wife of the late union minister Ananth Kumar may contest from Bengaluru South, said Karnataka BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa.

Addressing a press meet here on Wednesday March 13, the former CM seemed confident of BJP securing at least 22 seats in Karnataka and highlighted the failures of the coalition government in state and pro-people policies of the central, which he said would make his prediction a possibility.

To a question about Speaker Ramesh Kumar still not accepting the resignation of Umesh Jadhav, he said legal experts have opined that there was no problem for him to contest the Lok Sabha poll.

While appreciating the campaigning undertaken by the party workers, Yeddyurappa emphasized that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kept up to his promises on making India corruption-free and has also enhanced security and international relations.

Speaking about the Pulwama attack, he said that India succeeded in maintaining diplomatic ties with US and China and the international community stood with India, while condemning Pakistan.

The PM will come to Karnataka to participate in five election rallies, Yeddyurappa said.

BJP to finalise first list of candidates on March 16

Yeddyurappa said the party would finalise its first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls on March 16 and that virtually all the 16 sitting party MPs were likely to get tickets to contest.

Calling the Congress-JD(S) rule in Karnataka 'Tughlaq Darbar', he said the alliance would benefit the BJP in the polls, as they 'lack' understanding between each other.

Speaking to reporters here, he said the state BJP core committee would meet on March 15 and on March 16 he would travel to Delhi with state leaders and 'the first list of about 20-22 seats out of 28 will be cleared'.

Out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, the BJP presently has 16, Congress 10 and the JD(S) 2.

Yeddyurappa also said that "almost" all 16 sitting BJP MPs are likely to get the ticket.

Asked whether the Congress and the JD(S) fighting the election as allies would affect the BJP's prospects, Yeddyurappa said it would rather benefit the party.

Pointing at the infighting between the coalition partners, he said people were fed up with this government.

"Other than transfer racket and corruption, nothing is happening. It is like a Tughlaq Darbar is going on...there is no understanding between coalition parties and their leaders...Kumaraswamy is a chief minister limited to four or five districts and not for the state," he added.

Asked whether Sumalatha Ambareesh, wife of the late actor-turned politician Ambareesh would be the BJP candidate from Mandya, Yeddyurappa said the party was awaiting her decision.

He said after knowing her stand in one or two days, the BJP would arrive at a decision on what it should do as a national party following discussions with its high command.

Asked whether the BJP had invited her to the party or whether she was in touch with the leaders, he said the decision would be taken by the central leadership.

According to BJP sources, the party may support her as an independent candidate so that she can continue to bank on the support of disgruntled Congress leaders in Mandya who are upset about their party's decision to cede the seat to the JD(S).

Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy is likely to be the coalition candidate from Mandya.

To a question about the BJP attempting to form the government in the state once again after the Lok Sabha results, he said, "right now our aim is to win more than 22 seats in the Lok Sabha polls."

"More than 20 Congress MLAs are opposing Kumaraswamy and they are not ready to accept him as the chief minister... other things let's wait until the polls results are out, after that I will come back to you," he added.

Asked about dynasty politics, with two grandsons of JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda likely to be in the poll fray from Mandya and Hassan respectively, Yeddyurappa said, "I don't want to discuss about it much, but there should be a limit to it.

"Deve Gowda's family was trying to exceed that limit, and it has caused public outrage," he said.

Yeddyurappa's sons too are active in politics. One of them, B Y Raghavendra, is an MP from Shivamogga and is aspiring to retain it.

With PTI inputs