Bengaluru: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka has begun its preparations for the upcoming elections to four Legislative Council seats, issuing an order appointing election coordinators and co-coordinators for each constituency.
As per the directive issued by state BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra, Amarnath Patil has been appointed coordinator and Naveen Gulagannavar as co-coordinator for the Northeast Teachers’ Constituency. Arun Shahapur will oversee the West Graduates’ Constituency with Santosh Devaraddi as co-coordinator.
For the Southeast Graduates’ Constituency, Y.A. Narayanaswamy will serve as coordinator and Chidananda M. Gowda as co-coordinator. The Bengaluru Teachers’ Constituency will be managed by Keshav Prasad and S.N. Rajanna.
Search for a new face in the southeast graduates’ constituency:
The BJP is reportedly scouting for a new candidate for the Southeast Graduates’ Constituency, as Chidananda Gowda has already made it clear that he will not be contesting this time. The party is considering fresh names, with Vasanth Kumar, convener of the BJP Legal Cell, and former MLC Y.A. Narayanaswamy emerging as frontrunners.
Narayanaswamy, who had previously contested from the Southeast Teachers’ Constituency, is said to be keen on a ticket again.
Shashil Namoshi and Sankanoor likely to get another chance:
The BJP’s internal discussions suggest that sitting MLC Shashil Namoshi may once again be fielded from the West Graduates’ Constituency, while S.V. Sankanoor, who represents the Northeast Teachers’ Constituency, is also likely to be renominated. Both leaders have a strong local base and are expected to play a key role in retaining the party’s influence in the respective constituencies.
JD(S) may get Bengaluru seat:
Sources indicate that the Bengaluru Teachers’ Constituency could be allotted to the JD(S) as part of the BJP-JD(S) understanding for the Council elections. The BJP has already held two key review meetings under the leadership of R. Ashoka, focusing on booth-level coordination and campaign management.
While the party appears confident of retaining its strongholds, the possible inclusion of new faces in at least one constituency points to a broader effort by the BJP to rejuvenate its legislative team and strengthen its partnership with the JD(S) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
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