Three more by-polls cause parties to look inward

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: As many as three sitting MLAs in the Karnataka Assembly won the Lok Sabha seats they contested from, necessitating by-polls to the state legislature seats in question, which has caused claimants for tickets to appear in all three largest parties in the state.

The three MLAs in question include JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamy who represents both the Channapatna Assembly constituency in Ramanagara district and the Mandya Lok Sabha seat.

He contested from Mandya under pressure from the high command of allies BJP since the saffron party doesn’t have much of a presence in the Vokkaliga heartland district. Kumaraswamy is likely to land a Union ministry in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet.

When Kumaraswamy vacates the Channapatna seat, BJP MLC and five-time MLA from the seat CP Yogeshwar may lay claim to the ticket. It's either that or some other claimant from the JD(S) may emerge.

Party leaders such as Anita and Nikhil Kumaraswamy may stake a claim. However, HD Kumaraswamy is wary of the JD(S) being seen as the party of his family alone. Congress had fielded Gangadhar S from Channapatna in May 2023 and he had finished a distant third.

Suresh Channapatna candidacy speculated

However, DK Suresh, the brother of Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar, lost from Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha seat to BJP candidate and Kumaraswamy’s brother-in-law Dr CN Manjunath.

This frees up Suresh to contest from Channapatna. Interestingly, scores of JD(S) workers from Channapatna, disaffected by the alliance with the BJP, joined the Congress in the lead up to the Lok Sabha polls, making the ruling party stronger in the Assembly segment.

The other seat to be vacated is Shiggaon in Haveri district, which is represented by former CM Basavaraj Bommai. The BJP leader won from the Haveri Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday, making him another former CM who is slated to join Modi’s Cabinet.

Congressman Yasir Ahmed Khan contested against Bommai in Haveri last May and is likely to get a ticket this time again. Strong BJP contenders are yet to emerge. Congress MLA from Sandur E Tukaram won his bid from the Ballari Lok Sabha seat against fellow Valmiki and BJP candidate B Sriramulu.

Tukaram was promised that if he wins, his daughter would get the Sandur ticket for the Congress. BJP had fielded Shilpa Raghavendra from Sandur in May 2023. Both Sandur and Ballari are reserved for Scheduled Tribes. Dates for the by-polls have not been announced yet.