All eyes are now on the Periyapatna seat, which will go to the polls on May 28. With Congress set to form the next government and Siddaramaiah from the district leading the CM’s race, stakes are high for the party. Also, Congress candidate K Venkatesh, a four-time MLA, is a close associate of the top CM contender.
For JD(S) and BJP, the election is equally crucial for sheer arithmetic detail. Tied at 40 seats, both parties are looking at this seat to bag the role of principal opposition party in the assembly. If BJP fails to win the seat, it would end up playing second fiddle to JD(S) on the opposition benches — an embarrassing low for a party that held the reins until a week ago.
JD(S) is pulling out all stops to ensure that its candidate K Mahadev wins the seat.
The Periyapatna poll was adjourned on April 30 after BJP candidate Sannamogegowda’s sudden death. Returning officer AB Basavaraju issued a fresh notification on May 3, calling the BJP to nominate its candidate . The BJP is weighing all its options before fielding candidate who could win the seat. Friday is the last day to file nomination papers. Votes will be counted on May 31.
With the poll drubbing, BJP is finding it hard to get a winning horse. State unit chief Prahlad Joshi called up former minister and MLC CH Vijayshankar , who declined the offer and said he’s more keen on the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Later, Vijayshankar met the party leaders from Periyapatna and decided to recommend the name of RT Satish, who headed the taluk party unit at and the district Raitha Morcha. Senior leader CT Ravi will oversee the party’s campaigning.
(HM Aravind, TNN )
