BJP includes its tainted leaders in 2nd list

Bengaluru, Apr 17: Former ministers Katta Subramanya Naidu, S N Krishnaiah Setty and Hartalu Halappa are among the 82 candidates announced by the BJP in its second list for the May 12 Assembly elections.

The BJP had announced 72 candidates, including a majority of sitting MLAs and migrants from other parties, in its first list. Katta was arrested in August 2011 after being indicted by the Lokayukta. He did not contest the 2013 elections. This time, he has been given the ticket to contest from Shivajinagar and will be pitted against R Roshan Baig of the Congress.

Halappa was acquitted recently in a rape case filed against him in 2009. He has been given a ticket to contest from Sagar. Halappa has been preferred over Belur Gopalakrishna. Halappa faced stiff competition from Gopalakrishna. Gopalakrishna’s supporters ransacked the BJP office in Sagar soon after they got to know that their leader had failed to make it to the list.

Setty, too, had to spend some time in prison over a land scam. He had quit the BJP after being denied a ticket in the 2013 elections. He has since made a re-entry into the BJP and has been given a ticket to contest from Malur.

The list has several candidates who contested unsuccessfully in the 2013 elections — Siddu Savadi (Terdal), Srikanth Kulkarni (Jamkhandi), Murgesh Nirani (Bilgi), Veeranna Charantimatt (Bagalkot) among others.

Former minister Sogadu Shivanna, who had identified himself with the Sangolli Rayanna Brigade, has been denied a ticket. The ticket to Tumakuru City, once represented by Shivanna, has been given to former MP G S Basavaraj’s son G B Jyothi Ganesh. Basavaraj is a Yeddyurappa loyalist.

MP B Sriramulu’s relative Sanna Fakirappa has been given a ticket to contest from Ballari Rural. Sriramulu, who usually contested from here will contest from Molkalmuru.