Bengaluru: Amit Shah meet effect! Fate of 7 BJP MPs uncertain

The grouse is that some of these MPs have hardly visited their Lok Sabha constituencies over the last five years.

Update: 2019-02-23 21:12 GMT
Shobha Karandlaje

Bengaluru: Sitting BJP MPs may have been promised a ticket once again this Lok Sabha poll by state party president, B.S.Yeddyurappa, but their fate is far from certain as the party’s second rung leaders and office bearers reportedly opposed the idea at a meeting with BJP national president, Amit Shah in the city on Thursday.

The leaders instead suggested the party should hold a survey before selecting candidates for the Lok Sabha poll from the state as some of the MPs were facing anti-incumbency, according to sources.

The opposition is particularly strong against sitting MPs of Udupi-Chikamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Mysuru and Hubballi-Dharwad as they are not on good terms with party workers, they reveal. The grouse is that some of these MPs have hardly visited their Lok Sabha constituencies over the last five years.

Mr Shah was also reportedly informed about the social media campaign against a few  MPs and  urged to field strong candidates in Chikkodi, Ballari, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Chikkaballapura and Kolar. The party’s core committee leaders too felt it should target winning over 22  seats these elections, and seriously consider the anti- incumbency factor working against sitting MPs. Mr Shah, who is said to have taken feedback from the local leaders about the ground situation in all 28 Lok Sabha constituencies, and especially the 17, where it won during the 2014 elections, was, however, non-committal on giving tickets to sitting MPs and reportedly assured that the party would go by a field survey on the popularity and winnability of candidates.

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