Bengaluru, 13 March

BJP on Wednesday announced candidates for 20 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, which includes Mysuru royal scion Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar from Mysuru and former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai from Haveri.

The party has replaced nine sitting MPs, including former chief minister DV Sadanada Gowda from Bangalore North, Pratap Simmha from Mysuru and former State BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel from Dakshina Kannada. Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje, who was facing some resistance for re-nomination within the party from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, has been shifted to Bangalore North, which is currently represented by Sadananda Gowda.

Kota Srinivas Poojary, who is currently the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, would now contest from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru. In Ballari, the party has fielded ST community leader and former Minister B Sriramulu.

Noted cardiac surgeon and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's son-in-law Dr CN Manjunath has been fielded from Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha segment, where he will face sitting Congress MP and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's brother DK Suresh.

Those who have retained the candidature include Annasaheb Jolle (Chikkodi), PC Gaddigoudar (Bagalkot), Ramesh Jigajinagi (Bijapur), Umesh Jadhav (Gulbarga), Bhagwanth Khuba (Bidar), Pralhad Joshi (Dharwad), BY Raghavendra (Shivamogga), PC Mohan (Bangalore Central) and Tejasvi Surya (Bangalore South).

Former minister V Somanna has been given a ticket from Tumakuru, which was represented by GS Basavaraj, and in Davangere segment, sitting MP GM Siddeshwara has been replaced by his wife Gayathri Siddeshwara.

Basavaraj Kyavator has got the ticket in Koppal replacing Karadi Sanganna, Sriramulu in Ballari in place of Y Devendrappa, Bommai in Haveri in place of Shivakumar Udasi, Brijesh Chowta in Dakshina Kannada replacing Kateel, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar in Mysuru in the place of Pratap Simmha and S Balaraj in Chamarajanagar instead of Srinivas Prasad.

Chamarajanagar MP V Srinivas Prasad and Haveri MP Shivakumar Udasi had already announced political retirement after the current term ends.

The BJP swept the 2019 general elections, bagging 25 of the total 28 seats in the State, while an independent backed by the party also emerged victorious.