BJP list for 20 seats in Karnataka: Gowda, Kateel and Simha among leaders dropped; Yaduveer and Dr Manjunath among new faces

The BJP on Wednesday announced its first list for Karnataka naming candidates for 20 constituencies.

Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, who represents Shiggaon in the assembly, will contest from Haveri, which is also his native district.

The party has dropped former union minister DV Sadananda Gowda (Bengaluru North), Pratap Simha (Mysuru), Sanganna Karadi (Koppal), Nalinkumar Kateel (Dakshina Kannada) and GM Siddeshwara (Davanagere) while making some changes.


MoS Shobha Karandlaje has been shifted from Udupi-Chikmagalur to Bengaluru North. In Bengaluru, PC Mohan (central) and Tejasvi Surya (south) have retained their seats. In Mysuru, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar of the royal family will contest, taking Simha's place. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi will contest from Dharwad, as before.

The party has succeeded in persuading former PM HD Deve Gowda's son-in-law and well-known cardiologist CN Manjunath to be its candidate from Bengaluru Rural and take on DK Suresh, the only Congress candidate to have won the Lok Sabha polls in 2019. Suresh is also the brother of KPCC president DK Shivakumar.

Former BJP minister V Somanna, who had lost from two assembly constituencies in last year's assembly polls, including against chief minister Siddaramaiah, will contest from Tumakuru. The party has replaced its former state president Nalinkumar Kateel with Capt. Brijesh Chowta in Dakshina Kannada. In Koppal, Basavaraj Kyavator will contest, taking Sanganna's place.

In Kalaburagi, Umesh G Jadhavi has secured a nomination this time too. He had defeated AICC president Mallikarjuna Kharge in 2019. In Bidar, the party has retained MoS Bhagwanth Khuba despite stiff resistance from sections of