Karnataka Assembly Election: BJP Will Win 125-130 Seats, Says Former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa

New Delhi: Despite reports of rebellion by senior leaders, former Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa has exuded confidence that his party BJP will win 125-130 sats out of the 159 seats declared by the party in the high-stakes assembly elections in the state next month. Speaking to reporters, BSY said, “Out of 159 seats that were announced yesterday, we will win 125-130 seats. We are happy with the announcement. We will form govt in Karnataka.”

The Karnataka BJP veteran and Lingayat strongman also dismissed reports that the dissent brewing within the party will hamper the outcome of the elections and assured that all issues will be resolved soon.

#WATCH | Out of 159 seats that were announced yesterday, we will win 125-130 seats. We are happy with the announcement. We will form govt in Karnataka: BJP leader and former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa pic.twitter.com/zE7Yq7plAr — ANI (@ANI) April 12, 2023

Referring to the denial of the ticket to former CM Jagadish Shettar, BS Yediyurappa also stated that it is almost certain that he will be given a party ticket to contest elections no matter what. “99% Jagadish Shettar will be given an election ticket,” Yediyurappa said.

#WATCH | 99% Jagadish Shettar (former Karnataka CM) will be given an election ticket: BJP leader and Former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa#KarnatakaElections2023 pic.twitter.com/pWlxydkXnO — ANI (@ANI) April 12, 2023

The saffron party is said to be facing severe opposition from its own leaders after the party denied tickets to heavyweights in the favour of fresh faces. The saffron party, while announcing the first list of 189 candidates on Tuesday, said it was a "carefully crafted list" to strike a balance between "experience and new vigour".

BJP MLC and former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi announced his resignation, and former CM Jagadish Shettar has also stated that he will contest elections no matter what. After tendering his resignation, a visibly miffed Savadi said: "I have made my decision. I am not the one who goes around with a begging bowl. I am a self-respecting politician. I am not acting under the influence of anyone."

Sitting MLAs of Belagavi North and Ramdurg constituencies Anil Benake and Mahadevappa Shivalingappa Yadawad have also been denied tickets by the BJP for the upcoming assembly elections in the Belagavi district. The party instead fielded Ravi Patil and Chikkarevanna to contest from Belagavi North and Ramdurg respectively. The move sparked protests by the dropped MLAs' supporters.

Congress Ready To 'Poach' Disgruntled BJP Leaders

Even as the BJP is facing rebellion from some senior leaders, who have not been given the tickets to contest the Assembly poll, the Congress is ready to poach disgruntled leaders, sources have said. The rebellious move of both leaders is expected to cause serious damage to the party in the north Karnataka and Kittur Karnataka region. Both leaders hail from the Lingayat community and have been with the BJP party for decades.

On the other hand, the Congress party is all set to poach BJP sitting MLAs, who are not given tickets. The party had already approached Savadi and was also in touch with other senior leaders, sources said.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai commenting on the developments, stated on Wednesday that he is hopeful of retaining both the leaders in the party. Reacting to Savadi`s threat to resign, Bommai said that he has spoken to him.

"I have conveyed not to make hasty decisions. I have confidence that Laxman Savadi, who has had an emotional bond with the BJP party for a long time, has a good future in the party. The party has never abandoned him. The decision had been taken to keep the word which was given at the time of the BJP party assuming power in 2019," CM Bommai explained.

Shettar is visiting New Delhi after he was denied a ticket from the Hubballi-Dharwad constituency. "The high command will speak with him and everything will be alright," the CM stated.

CM Bommai clarified that he never wanted to join the Congress and the discussion in this regard is irrelevant. He maintained that after the announcement of the first list, the confidence among party workers and people has only increased. "We will get a majority and also win 10-15 seats more than what is required to attain a majority in the state," he said.

Amit Shah To Finalise 2nd List For Karnataka Today

Union Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday chaired a meeting to finalise the candidates for the remaining 35 seats for the Karnataka Assembly elections. The list of the remaining seats is expected to be released on Thursday as per the sources. 

BJP Declares 189 Candidates in First List

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday announced its first list of 189 candidates for the election that is scheduled to be held on May 10. According to a top BJP source, Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the meeting and discussion was held on each name suggested by the party`s Karnataka core group.

There could be more fresh names in the remaining list, said the sources. The first list had 52 new faces. BJP national President JP Nadda, State in-charge Arun Singh, election in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, and national General Secretary (Org), B L Santhosh were present in the meeting.

After the first list was out, some state leaders were unhappy. Sources said this was also discussed in the meeting. In the first list, the BJP has given place to Congress turncoats. Karnataka has a total of 224 Assembly seats and a party needs to cross the halfway mark of 113 in order to form the government.