The announcement of candidates for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly election is getting delayed for the Congress and the BJP over the selection of right candidates from the dominant Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities.
The BJP is sensing a rebellion by disgruntled leaders. Dissent is brewing and the delay in candidate selection is seen as a strategy to quell rumblings of protests within the party rank and file.
Congress announce 165 candidates
The main parties are in a wait-and-watch mode in the Lingayat-dominated belts delaying the list. While the Congress has announced 165 candidates so far for 224 seats, the BJP is waiting for the grand old party to announce the list in the Lingayat and Vokkaliga belts.
The Congress has allocated 30 tickets to Lingayat members and 24 to Vokkaligas, the two dominant castes. It is still struggling to placate Veerashaiva-Lingayats, seeking a higher ticket allocation. The party is under pressure as request letters and memoranda from Lingayat lobbies have started pouring in.
1st list likely after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit
Meanwhile, the BJP is treading cautiously, weighing its options. While the parliamentary board is scheduled to meet in Delhi, sources said the first list is likely after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state on Sunday.
The BJP parliamentary board was to hold a preliminary discussion on Saturday and finalise the list for a first reading on Sunday in the presence of Modi, who will return to Delhi after taking part in an event in Karnataka on Sunday, marking the completion of 50 years of Project Tiger.
JD(S) final list awaited
The Vokkaliga-dominated JD(S) has announced its first list and the final list is awaited. Smaller parties like Aam Aadmi Party, Karnataka Rashtra Samithi, Social Democratic Party of India and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen have announced their first and second lists.
“Unlike other parties, we are not in a rush to announce candidates. Our policy is that the candidate selection should start after the ann
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