Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru(DC)

Mangaluru, Mar 29: The first list of BJP probables for Karnataka Assembly polls is reportedly out with tickets being confirmed to most of the senior leaders in the party.

In the first list comprising 80 probables, BJP Karnataka chief B S Yeddyurappa will contest from Shikaripura constituency, while his son Raghavendra has been denied ticket by the BJP high command, say reports.

In the coastal region, present MLA Sunil Kumar has been given ticket from Karkala constituency while Halady Shrinivas Shetty will be contesting from Kundapur. From Sullia constituency, S Angara as expected has been given the ticket. There is no mention of other candidates contesting from Dakshina Kannada in the first list.

BJP state chief Yeddyurappa

Other big names in the list as per reports are Aravinda Limbavali from Mahadevapura, Katta Subramanya Naidu from Shivajinagara, Niranjana from Gundlupete, CM Udasi from Hanagal, Suresh Kumar from Rajajinagar, Renukacharya from Honnali, C T Ravi from Chikkamagaluru, Vishweshwara Heggade Kageri from Sirsi, C P Gogeshwar from Chennapattana, Kumar Bangarappa from Soraba, Basavraj Bommayi from Shiggaon, Umesh Katti from Hukkeri, Govinda Karajola from Mudhola, Murugesh Nirani from Bilagi, Jagadish Shettar from Hubli-Dharwad central, R Ashok from Padmanabhanagar, Laxman Savadi from Athani.

The high-pitched battle for power in the southern state has already witnessed all sorts of allegations being hurled by the top parties at each other. National leaders of both Congress and BJP have toured the state with their own versions of 'yatras' multiple times. Other than the national parties, a number of regional parties have also mushroomed that may affect the traditional vote shares of the parties to some extent. The Lingayat community, which has been traditionally with the BJP, has expressed solidarity with the Congress after the state government granted them separate religion status, while the Veerashaivas, angered by the decision, have vowed to defeat the ruling Congress.

Both the BJP and the Congress have a lot at stake in this election. While the BJP, which floundered when it was in power in the state before the Congress, is desperate to make another attempt at making inroads into the southern states and further its goal of 'Congress-Mukth Bharat', the Congress has everything to lose if it does not retain power.

Karnataka is one of the few states where Congress is still in power, and in fact, the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka is the strongest of Congress bastions. All surveys, including BJP's own have pointed at Congress' win. While Siddaramaiah may be expected to continue in the CM's chair if the Congress comes to power again, the BJP has projected former chief minister and current BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa as the CM candidate.

The tenure of the 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly expires on May 28 and before that, the new house has to be constituted. The results of this election would give a fair picture of the things to come in the 2019 general elections.