Rajya Sabha polls: BJP announces Eranna Kadadi, Ashok Gasti as candidates from Karnataka


Bengaluru, June 8 (IANS): Springing a surprise, the BJP high command named two of its grassroots cadres - Eranna Kadadi from Belagavi and Ashok Gasti from Raichur to contest in the June 19 Rajya Sabha biennial elections in Karnataka, a party official said on Monday.

"Our party's central election committee has selected grassroots leaders Kadadi and Gasti as candidates to contest for 2 of the 4 Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant from the southern state," party's state unit spokesman told IANS here.

Kadadi is a strong leader of the politically dominant Lingayat community, which is the ruling party's vote bank in the state and to which chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa belongs.


Eranna Kadadi (left) and Ashok Gasti

Kadadi was the party's Belagavi district zilla parishad president in the state's north western region, about 500 km from Bengaluru in the southern state.

Gasti, an advocate by profession, hails from the barber community and belongs to Raichur district in the state's northern region, about 490 km away from Bengaluru.

"Gasti, a law graduate, is a former Raichur district zilla parishad president. Kadadi and Gasti are the party's grassroots members," said the official.

Admitting that the high command did not consider the 3 names the state core committee shortlisted on Saturday, including outgoing member Prabhakar Kore, the official said Kadadi and Gasti would file their nominations at Vidhana Soudha (legislature building) in the city on Tuesday in the presence of the party's state leaders.

As per the procedure, the core committee recommended Kore, former Lok Sabha member Ramesh Katti and Prakash Shetty, a city hotelier, for contesting 2-3 Rajya Sabha seats from a list of candidates, including the party's general secretary and its state's in-charge P. Muralidhar Rao and Nirmal Surana.

Kore, who is also from Belagavi, has been the party's Rajya Sabha member for two terms.

With 116 legislators and support of 2 independents, election of Kadadi and Gasti will be smooth as they require 44 votes each to win the contest.

In fact, the BJP will be left with 30 surplus votes but 14 short of ensuring the victory of its third candidate.

With the term of the 4 members, including 2 from the Congress (B.K. Hariprasad and Rajeev Gowda) and one each from the BJP (Kore) and JD-S Reddy ending on June 25, the Election Commission on June 1 notified the bypoll in the state on June 19, with June 9 as the last date of filing nominations. Vote count is also in the evening of the polling day.

With JD-S supremo H.D. Deve Gowda contesting for the fourth seat in place of Reddy on support from the opposition Congress, prospects of the ruling party (BJP) fielding another candidate for third seat have dashed.

"We have no objection to Gowda entering the Rajya Sabha as he is a former prime minister and one of the tallest political leaders in the southern state. We wish him well," added the BJP spokesman.

Gowda (87) lost in the May 2019 general elections from Tumkur to G.S. Basvaraj of the BJP, though his grandson Prajwal Gowda won from the JD-S bastion Hassan, defeating A. Manju of the BJP.

With 68 lawmakers, the Congress has fielded its veteran Mallikarjun Kharge to contest on the party symbol.

After ensuring Kharge's victory with 44 votes, the Congress will have 24 surplus votes to spare.

As the JD-S has 34 MLAs, Gowda will need votes of 10 Congress MLAs for a smooth win at the hustings.

 

 

  

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Comment on this article

  • francis, Mangalore

    Tue, Jun 09 2020

    Only in BJP, can a Grassroot worker aspire to get promotions.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Neri, Neerude

    Tue, Jun 09 2020

    Instead of solving the problem covid19 political parties busy in their agenda

    DisAgree [2] Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Veer, Nagpur

    Mon, Jun 08 2020

    i guess only BJP give ticket to common worker, in other party ticket only to family people

    DisAgree [7] Agree [17] Reply Report Abuse

  • Shetty, Mangalore

    Mon, Jun 08 2020

    Only possible in BJP... The party with a difference..Respect..

    DisAgree [11] Agree [28] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rao, Udupi

    Mon, Jun 08 2020

    Instead of choosing heavy weights or persons from political family it is better to choose grass root workers or new faces.

    DisAgree [3] Agree [31] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rahul, BAJPE

    Mon, Jun 08 2020

    I appreciate decisions taken by BJP's high command by fielding grass root workers like Gasti and Kadadi. Congress still believes in old horses like Kharge and Deve Gowda . They really misuse the democrasy by fielding candidates who crossed 80 years of age!

    DisAgree [14] Agree [37] Reply Report Abuse

  • Roshan Rodrigues, Mangalore

    Mon, Jun 08 2020

    Reality No Value for Karnatak BJP in front of Guju's.
    the culture of Anguta chap yes Sir and No Sir.

    Bhakth will understand and shows happy faces saying Modiji given chance to grass root people, it happens only in BJP, moral of the story Bundhar bolega merai Lal hey.............

    DisAgree [30] Agree [27] Reply Report Abuse

  • Dylan, Mangalore

    Mon, Jun 08 2020

    Tho gulati maaro yaar
    Baara bar maaro
    nahin tho bandhar pedh se ghiregha!

    DisAgree [5] Agree [8] Reply Report Abuse

  • Albert, Mangalore

    Mon, Jun 08 2020

    @Roshan. How long Dongi party can circulate party chair between scam amma and Potato Pappu? Why there are suitable candidates? Why do you support such a dead rotten party?

    DisAgree [4] Agree [17] Reply Report Abuse

  • Sameer, Mangalore

    Mon, Jun 08 2020

    Now it is clear that BJP high command is busy in patch up work on disidents.
    It is noted that , jarakiholi and katti factions of Belagavi , fought internally to gain the RS seat which is fuelled by many of party leaders. In order to corner them, high command now played a new strategy by fielidng Kadadi and Gasti , who happens to be grass root workers of the party!

    DisAgree [9] Agree [18] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Mon, Jun 08 2020

    Why new faces ...

    DisAgree [18] Agree [12] Reply Report Abuse

  • Langoolacharya., Belman / Washington, DC.

    Mon, Jun 08 2020

    People,

    Modiji and Amitji are sending a message to Yeddy and Nalin ...who are the real BOSS in Karnataka....Perhaps BL Santhosh's finger prints could be seen in this decision as well...

    Yeddy is a compulsion not a CHOICE for Central BJPeee leaderships...this is only conclusion I can draw from this decision...

    ...Tak...Takk...

    DisAgree [4] Agree [26] Reply Report Abuse

  • Krishna, Udupi

    Mon, Jun 08 2020

    I guess ur habit of seeing old face like kharge and hdd will be full filled by jds-congi family pack combo...

    Look at difference between congress jds family pack combo and BJP.

    Bjp choosing new face, grassroot worker not from family pack

    DisAgree [5] Agree [21] Reply Report Abuse

  • Langoolacharya., Belman / Washington, DC.

    Mon, Jun 08 2020

    Right, I am a great fan of HD Deve Gowda and Mallikarjuna Kharge....I love them and one more ribbon cutter from Udupi....

    On other side we have teenage and productive MPs from Udupi and Mangalore....full of energy...

    I am confused now....to find out who is worse and who is worst !!!...

    ...Tak...Takk...

    DisAgree [4] Agree [2] Reply Report Abuse


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Title: Rajya Sabha polls: BJP announces Eranna Kadadi, Ashok Gasti as candidates from Karnataka



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