Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok on Thursday said the main agenda of the BJP State unit is to make efforts to get ticket for the BJP candidates for all three Assembly seats, including Channapatna, for which bypolls will be held.
Mr. Ashok, who is in Delhi to meet the party Central leaders along with other prominent leaders from the State to hold consultations on various issues including the Assembly bypolls, told media persons that the State unit would try to convince the party leadership in this regard.
When he was asked if their coalition partner JD(S) would agree to give up Channapatna, which it represented earlier to the BJP, Mr. Ashok only said that the final call on the issue would be taken by the NDA of which Mr. Kumaraswamy would also be an integral part.
Mr. Ashok’s statement on ticket to BJP candidates gave rise to political curiosity as various campaigns are being taken up by the JD(S) under the leadership of its youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy. This is being speculated as an effort to prepare the party for bypolls in Channapatna.
At the same time, BJP MLC C.P. Yogeshwar, who has represented Channapatna Assembly seat earlier, has publicly expressed his desire to contest the bypolls, putting the NDA leaders in a spot.
The NDA leaders are concerned as any confusion or misunderstanding between the allies may turn out to be a major challenge as Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has been spearheading the Congress’ bypoll campaign in Channapatna.
Mr. Ashok is likely to hold consultations with BJP national president J.P. Nadda on Friday. BJP leaders Basavaraj Bommai, C.T. Ravi, Ashwath Narayan, and Arvind Bellad are also in Delhi.