BJP fields Kadadi, Gasti as candidates for RS polls from Karnataka

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday sprang a surprise by fielding dark horses Eranna Kadadi and Ashok Gasti as its candidates for the June 19 Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka, ignoring the recommendations of the state unit. The BJP state unit had proposed the names of Prabhakar Kore, Ramesh Katti and Prakash Shetty, which, however, did not find favour with the central leadership.

The names of the two candidates were announced in a party statement in Delhi. Party sources said both Kadadi and Gasti come from an RSS background.

Kadadi hails from Belagavi, while Gasti is a resident of Raichur. The 54-year old Kadadi started his active political career in 1989 and unsuccessfully contested the Assembly election from Arabhavi constituency in 1994 on a BJP ticket.

He had also served as the Belagavi district Panchayat President in 2010 and was also the BJP state secretary. Gasti, who hails from Savitha Samaj, is a lawyer by profession and former general secretary of the BJP's OBC Cell.

He is the former chairperson of the Backward Classes Development Corporation. There was hectic lobbying with Kore and Ramesh Katti, brother of senior BJP MLA Umesh Katti, eyeing Rajya Sabha tickets.

Kore, who is an educationist, was eyeing a second term while Prakash Shetty is a leading hotelier. Kadadi hails from the same district which Ramesh Katti and Kore belong to.

"The party's central leadership insisted that the state unit should recommend names of 'committed grassroot level workers' who have never compromised with the principles of the party on ideological grounds," a top BJP functionary told P T I. According to a top BJP functionary, the names had the imprint of BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi.

"When the big names (Kore, Ramesh Katti and Prakash Shetty) were rejected, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked the state leadership to suggest some other names," the BJP leader said. Subsequently, the state unit is said to have suggested the names of Kadadi, Gasti and Lingaraj Patil from Hubballi, of which the first two names were picked.

"This is for the first time that someone from Savitha Samaj is getting into Parliament," the BJP leader said. The state BJP unit welcomed the decision.

The Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj K S Eshwarappa expressed his gratitude to the selection committee. "Kadadi and Gasti are grassroot level workers who have served the party for over 30 years. I express my deepest gratitude to the selection committee whether it be Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president J P Nadda or Santhosh," Eshwarappa said in a video message.

Elections is scheduled on June 19 to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka, represented by Rajeev Gowda and B K Hariprasad of Congress, Prabhakar Kore of BJP and D Kupendra Reddy of JD(S) that will fall vacant on June 25, with their retirement. June 9 is the last date for filing nominations.PTI GMS PTI PTI