From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Hubballi/Shivamogga, Apr 7: With the BJP Central Parliamentary Board meeting in Delhi on Saturday for finalisation of the list of ruling party candidates, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai indicated that he will be leaving for Delhi to participate in the Central Parliamentary Board meeting.
Bommai said the BJP parliamentary board will be meeting in Delhi on April 8 and 9 and will finalise the list. “It will be released in Delhi itself,’’ he said.
Speaking to media persons in Hubballi on Friday, he said the BJP has collected the opinion of the party leaders at the district and constituency besides holding meetings at the State level.
“We have short-listed the names of probable candidates. There are 2 to 3 names for each constituency. The Central Parliamentary Board will finalise the names on Satruday,’’ he said.
Asked about the decision of his close associate and former BJP MLC Nagaraj Chabbi quitting the BJP, Bommai said he was unaware of the developments and made it clear that Chabbi has not contacted him so far.
To a question on whether senior BJP leader and Housing Minister V Sommanna, who belongs to the dominant Lingayat community, will be fielded against Congress leader Siddaramaiah in Varuna to offer a stiff contest to the Congress leader, the Chief Minister said the BJP candidate for Varuna and other constituencies will be decided at the Parliamentary Board meeting.
The Chief Minister said there was nothing special about prominent Kannada film stars extending support and campaigning for BJP and dismissed JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy’s criticism as totally unwarranted.
“Didn’t the JD(S) use Ambarish for the party campaign in Ramanagara by-election in 1996,’’ he said several film stars have campaigned for different parties in the past.
Bommai said Kumaraswamy is worried about the defeat and therefore, he criticises film stars’ campaigning for BJP. “We are confident of victory and are not bothered by the criticism,’’ he added.
The Chief Minister told reporters in Shivamogga later that the opposition Congress party does not have proper candidates in as many as 60 constituencies. He accused KPCC chief D K Shivakumar of calling leaders from BJP and JD(S) and offering party tickets.
“The Congress leaders are presenting a fake bravery. They are scared of defeat,’’ he said.