BJP jolt: Bypoll nominee joins K’taka Congress
In a major embarrassment to the BJP, L. Chandrashekar, the party’s candidate pitted against chief minister H. D. Kumaraswamy’s wife, Anitha Kumaraswamy, in the bypoll to Ramanagara Assembly constituency, jumped ship and joined the Congress hours before campaigning drew to a close on Thursday.
Announcing his decision to return to his “mother party,” Mr Chandrashekar accused the BJP and its leaders of “abandoning” him after picking him for the bypoll. But his move triggered allegations by top BJP leaders of big bucks being used by the Congress- JD( S) coalition to “hijack” their candidate. “Both the Congress and JD( S) joined hands to embarrass the BJP in the byelections. I wish them luck for hijacking our candidate,” state unit president B. S. Yeddyurappa remarked with sarcasm.
Union minister D. V. Sadananda Gowda, who is in charge of the elections in the Ramanagara Assembly constituency, also lambasted Mr Chandrashekar for quitting the party two days
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New Delhi: The central election committee ( CEC) of the BJP on Thursday met to finalise names of candidates for Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Telangana Assembly polls. Speculation is rife that the BJP has decided to field many new faces in Madhya Pradesh to beat anti- incumbency and could also field some of its sitting member of Parliament. Though it was expected that the BJP would release the names of candidates for MP polls on Thursday but it was postponed as the party leadership, it was learnt, was awaiting Congress's candidates list. The meeting was headed by the BJP president.