LS polls 2014: BJP finalises Sadananda Gowda for Bangalore North seat

Bangalore, March 5: After much confusion, the

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on Tuesday finally decided former chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda for the 'contentious' Bangalore North constituency.

According to reports, the decision to announce Gowda as the final candidate for Bangalore North was taken in a meeting attended by the BJP National General Secretary H N Ananath Kumar, party legislators and local unit presidents, along with Gowda.

The former deputy chief minister R Ashoka opted out of the poll fray at the last moment, after keeping the party in long suspense. While citing personal commitments, Ashoka backed Gowda's candidature.

In Karnataka, the LS polls will take place on April 17, 2014.

Earlier, the names of former minister and BS Yeddyurappa's staunch follower Shobha Karandlaje, BJP MLA Ashwathnarayan and former MLA Nandish Reddy were also doing the rounds for Bangalore North seat.

D V Sadananda Gowda is said to be a "people's man" but a canny politician. The mild and soft spoken Gowda, popularly known as ''DVS'' in party circles, is a seasoned politician and is considered as a deft crisis manager.

In 2011, a beleaguered B S Yeddyurappa, who had to face the axe and quit chief- ministership following a Lokayukta report which indicted him in the illegal mining probe, made a hard bargain to install Gowda as his successor.

Arun Jaitley in Bangalore today

Meanwhile, the BJP senior leader Arun Jaitley is also scheduled to reach Bangalore today to strategise for the upcoming elections. BJP is expected to announce final list of its candidates by March 8.

On Wednesday, the Election Commisssioner of India V S Sampath announced the Lok Sabha polls schedule for all states in nine phases starting from April 7.

In Karnataka, the polls will take place on April 17, 2014.

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