New Delhi: In a scathing rebuke in the course of the BJP’s Basis Day final week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi derided the Congress and different events for perpetuating “parivarwaad, kshetravaad, and vanshvaad (dynastism, regionalism and casteism)”.
However when the BJP unveiled its first two candidate lists for the upcoming Karnataka elections, the Congress additionally discovered some ammunition to hurl accusations of parivarwaad.
In a tweet Thursday, Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh claimed that 34 out of the 212 candidates (out of a complete of 224) introduced by the BJP to this point have been solely there attributable to “nepotism” and “parivarwaad”.
NEPOTISM + ROWDINESS = BJP Karnataka
The Actual Face of the BJP is Uncovered34 out of 212 candidates introduced by BJP until now are there on the record attributable to NEPOTISM (PARIVARWAAD).
One among each six candidates introduced by the BJP is blessed with PARIVARWAAD. pic.twitter.com/DHClLMxO0C
— Prof. Gourav Vallabh (@GouravVallabh) April 13, 2023
This expansive record additionally included Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, whose father S.R. Bommai had additionally served as CM. One other outstanding identify is B.Y. Vijayendra — the son of celebration veteran and former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa (BSY) — who will contest from Shikaripura in Shivamogga.
Regardless of the BJP’s oft-championed ‘one household, one ticket’ rule, two members every from 4 households have been given tickets.
Chatting with ThePrint, Vallabh stated that the record confirmed that the PM’s phrases have been “meaningless”.
“The PM launches common assaults on parivarwaad, however the BJP retains giving tickets to members of the family. Our level is, don’t preach what you aren’t in a position to implement in personal celebration,” he stated.
When requested about this, Karnataka BJP spokesperson Ganesh Karnik informed ThePrint that “dynasty-owned events” just like the Congress weren’t the identical as political households working inside the BJP.
“We outline a ‘dynasty’ in another way. For us, a dynasty means a celebration that’s owned and managed by one household — just like the Gandhi household for the Congress, the Deve Gowda household for the JD(S), the KCR household for the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (now Bharat Rashtra Samithi), and the Karunanidhi household within the DMK,” Karnik stated. “These events can not operate with out their members of the family holding positions of energy.”
Drawing a distinction for the BJP, he added: “If any politician’s son or daughter is working for the celebration and the constituency and will get a ticket via advantage, there isn’t a hurt in it. The BJP is just not a dynasty celebration just like the Congress and different regional events. Right here, tickets are solely given on advantage.”
The BJP launched its first record of 189 names Tuesday. The second record of 23 candidates was launched Wednesday, and a last record is predicted Friday. Nominations are being filed from 13-20 April, and voting is to happen on 10 Might.
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‘Dynasts’ within the fray
Regardless of the PM’s emphasis on “dynasty-free India”, over two dozen BJP candidates in Karnataka — together with seven recent faces — come from outstanding political households.
In an occasion of the ‘one ticket, one household’ rule being bent, Congress turncoat Ramesh Jarkiholi and his brother Balachandra have each been given tickets from Belagavi district’s Gokak and Arabhavi constituencies, respectively. The 5 brothers of the Jarkiholi clan wield super affect within the district.
One other highly effective Belagavi political household with two tickets in hand is that of the late minister Umesh Katti. His son Nikhil Katti will contest the Hukkeri seat, left vacant after Umesh handed away final September. Umesh’s brother Ramesh Katti is the BJP’s candidate for the Chikkodi-Sadalga meeting constituency.
In Ballari district, transport minister B. Sriramulu and his nephew Suresh Babu will contest from Ballari (Rural) and Kampli constituencies, respectively.
Two sitting MLA brothers of mining baron and politician G. Janardhana Reddy are additionally within the fray from this area. Whereas Somashekara Reddy will as soon as once more contest from Ballari (Metropolis), G. Karunakara Reddy will defend his Harapanahalli seat.
Different ‘dynastic’ candidates who’re acquainted faces embody minister Shashikala Jolle, the spouse of BJP MP Annasaheb Jolle, who has obtained a ticket from Nippani, the place she is the sitting MLA. She reportedly confronted a protest at a village there earlier this week by a gaggle of constituents who have been disgruntled by her efficiency. Equally, Bangalore South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya’s uncle Ravi Subramanya will as soon as once more stand for elections from the Basavanagudi seat.
In lots of circumstances, the generational baton appears to have been handed on to sons, and the odd daughter.
The son of Gulbarga MP Umesh Jadhav, Avinash Jadhav, will contest the Chincholi seat, whereas Tumkur MP G.S. Basavaraj’s son Jyoti Ganesh is the candidate for Tumkur.
Tourism minister Anand Singh’s son Siddharth Singh is standing in Vijayanagar, changing his father. The pattern continues with BSY’s son Vijayendra, who will contest from Shivamogga district’s Shikaripura, his father’s bastion for the final 40-odd years. BSY’s elder son B.Y. Raghavendra is the Shivamogga Lok Sabha MP.
Different notable dynastic candidates embody Sapthagiri Gowda, the son of former minister Ramachandra Gowda, who will contest from Gandhinagar meeting constituency in Bengaluru.
Preetham Nagappa — the son of late legislator H. Nagappa and his spouse Parimala Nagappa, additionally an ex-MLA — is the candidate for Hanur in Chamarajanagar.
Gowtham Gowda, the son of former MLC Marilinge Gowda, will contest from Ramanagara, and in KGF (Kolar Gold Subject) constituency, Ashwini, the daughter of former BJP MLA Y. Sampangi, will stand because the celebration’s candidate. In Hubli-Dharwad, Arvind Bellad, the son of ex-MLA Chandrakant Bellad, has been given a ticket; he has represented the constituency since 2013.
Lastly, in Saundatti Yellamma, Ratna Mamani, the spouse of late MLA Anand Mamani, has been named because the BJP’s candidate.
Nonetheless, it’s price noting that the celebration remains to be deciding whether or not to area Okay.E. Kantesh, the son of former deputy chief minister Okay.S. Eshwarappa, as a candidate from the Shivamogga seat.
Dynasty ‘dynamics’ in Karnataka
Political “dynamics” are such in Karnataka that the BJP is compelled to present tickets to members of the family of established leaders — one thing that it has been loath to do in different states like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, stated a Karnataka celebration vice-president.
“Each state has totally different political dynamics, and BJP’s progress in Karnataka is just not as natural and common as in different northern states like Gujarat. Whereas the celebration can experiment in Gujarat and different states, in Karnataka, there’s a political compulsion to enhance its winnability as BJP is anticipating a troublesome battle with Congress,” this chief informed ThePrint.
He added that opposition events had fielded “musclemen” and different “dabang” (robust) candidates from some seats, leaving the BJP no room to take probabilities with newcomers or to upset established leaders.
“Many political households think about politics as their legacy and wield enormous affect of their respective areas, swaying electoral outcomes. That’s why we have now to accommodate such households. Households just like the Jarkiholis, Kattis, and Reddys are amongst those who wield nice affect and energy,” he added.
(Edited by Asavari Singh)
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