Jolted by Lingayat exits, BJP manages to retain its Koppal MP, pits Tenginkai against Shettar

The ruling BJP has been able to prevent the exit of its Koppal MP Karadi Sanganna on Monday by partly meeting his demand for a Koppal ticket.

While the MP asked for the ticket for himself, the party gave one to his daughter in law Manjula Amaresh.

Sanganna was firm on contesting the assembly polls from Koppal this time, but the party was not in favour of it. Nor was the party willing to give a ticket to any member of his family.


But he threatened to quit the party and contest the assembly polls from either the JDS or as an independent.

The party, bruised by the recent exits of two Lingayat leaders Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi, did not want to lose another. Sanganna is a Panchamasali, a dominant subsect of the Lingayat community.

Manjula Amaresh is among the candidates the BJP announced in its list on Monday evening.

In Hubli-Dharwad Central seat, state BJP general secretary Mahesh Tenginakai will take on the Congress candidate Jagadish Shettar, a six-time MLA from the seat. He joined the Congress only Monday after the BJP denied him a ticket.

In Bengaluru, the BJP has denied a ticket to sitting MLA Aravind Limbavali from Mahadevapura (SC) seat. The party, however, has nominated his wife Manjula Aravind Limbavali.

In Krishnaraja constituency of Mysuru, the party has denied ticket to sitting MLA A Ramadas and fielded Srivatsa, instead. In Mysuru, Ramadas and BJP MP Pratap Simha had been at loggerheads.

In Hebbal constituency of Bengaluru, the party has given ticket to Katta Jagadish, son of former BJP minister Katta Subramanya Naidu.