Ballari: Former chief minister Mr Jagadish Shettar on Wednesday categorically stated that the BJP core committee will decide the candidate for the Ballari Lok Sabha constituency.
In a bid to pacify miffed Valmiki strongman Mr B Sriramulu in this Scheduled Tribe(ST) reserved constituency, Mr Shettar clarified that though the party has made him the in-charge for the Ballari Lok Sabha poll, Mr Sriramulu will lead the campaign in Ballari.
"There are four to five aspirants seeking the party ticket to contest in the LS poll and the candidate will be finalized under the guidance of Sriramulu", he said. Party insiders said that Mr Sriramulu was upset with state-level leaders who have apparently decided not to give the ticket to the candidate chosen by him as his sister J Shantha suffered a humiliating defeat against Congress candidate Mr V.S. Ugrappa in the November, 2018 Ballari bypoll. Instead, the party leadership is reportedly toying with the idea of putting up the youngest of the powerful Jarkiholi brothers from Belagavi, Lakhan Jarkiholi as its candidate much to the dismay of Mr Sriramulu.
Though Mr Sriramulu has not publicly expressed his displeasure over Mr Lakhan's entry into the Ballari political arena, his loyalists have strongly objected to this move asserting that the party should not give the ticket to an 'outsider' like Mr Lakhan.
Meanwhile, forest minister and elder brother of Lakhan, Mr Satish Jarkiholi rebutted reports of him contesting from Ballari on a BJP ticket saying, "these are rumours and far from the truth".
"It is his (Lakhan's) personal decision whether to contest from Ballari or not. Family ties do not matter in electoral politics, I will work for the Congress party", he added.
In a related development, senior Congress leader Mr Devendrappa who happens to be a relative of 'rebel' Congress leader Mr Ramesh Jarkiholi joined the BJP and expressed his wish to contest from Ballari. Sources said Mr Venkatesh Prasad, elder brother of Ballari Congress MLA Mr B Nagendra, who is identified with the Ramesh Jarkiholi camp, may join the BJP and seek the party ticket for the LS poll.
