Bypoll: Kumaraswamy to meet Yediyurappa, Vijayendra to iron out differences

NT Correspondent Hubballi: JD(S) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy on Saturday said his father and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy will meet former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and his son and BJP state president B Y Vijayendra later in the day to iron out differences regarding Channapatna Assembly bypoll. He said the JD(S) and BJP leaders will finalise the candidate by Sunday. A decision has been arrived at that an NDA candidate would contest the Channapatna Assembly bypoll to be held on November 13, Nikhil told PTI.

The Channapatna seat fell vacant after Kumaraswamy resigned from the Assembly after his victory in the Lok Sabha election. It is very clear that the NDA candidate will contest the election from Channapatna, Nikhil said, adding that the decision will come from the Central and the state-level BJP and the JD(S) leaders. According to him, there will be a closed-door meeting between Kumaraswamy, Yediyurappa, Vijayendra and state-level BJP leaders on Saturday evening. "Whatever small issues or confusions have been happening for the past couple of months will be set right soon," Nikhil, the grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, said.

Regarding BJP leader C P Yogeeshwar willing to fight the Channapatna bypoll, the JD(S) leader said it is his wish. However, he underlined that the decision would come from the Central level BJP and JD(S) leaders. "By this evening or tomorrow we will arrive at a conclusion (on the candidate)," he said. According to the JD(S) and BJP sources, the Channapatna seat has been reserved for the JD(S) candidate.