Karnataka Bypoll 2019: BJP fields 13 disqualified MLAs; future ministers, says Yediyurappa

Bengaluru, Nov 14: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced names of 13 rebel MLAs (disqualified) as its candidates for the first list of assembly bypolls in Karnataka.

Bypolls to 15 of 17 seats represented by the disqualified MLAs, whose resignation led to the collapse of Congress-JD(S) coalition government in July, will be held on December 5.

All the 13 disqualified MLAs have been repeated from their respective seats.

Congress leader Mahesh Kumatalli will be contesting from Athani, Shrimanthagouda Patil (Kagwad), Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak), Shivram Hebbar (Yellapur), B C Patil (Hirekerur), Anand Singh (Vijayanagara), K Sudhakar (Chikkaballapura), Byrati Basavaraj (K R Puram), S T Somashekar (Yeshwanthpur) and MTB Nagaraj (Hoskote).

JD(S) leaders K Gopalaiah (Mahalakshmi Layout), AH Vishwanath (Hunsur) and KC Narayana Gowda (Krishnarajpet) have also been fielded.

Yediyurappa, while welcoming the rebel MLA's said "as the Chief Minister along with the party President I would like to assure you that, we will keep up the promise made to you word to word and won't betray you."

"We will hundred per cent win 15 out of 15 seats, let there be no doubt, I want to assure this to those joining the party...My greetings to former MLAs, who are also the future MLAs and Ministers," the chief minister added.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday had upheld the disqualification of 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs in Karnataka by the then Assembly speaker K R Ramesh Kumar but paved the way for them to contest the bypolls.

While upholding their disqualification, the apex court struck down the portion of the orders by the then speaker by which the legislators were disqualified till the end of the current Assembly's term in 2023.

The ruling BJP needs to win at least six out of those 15 seats to stay in power.

Fifteen out of the 17 constituencies represented by these MLAs will be going for bypolls, while by-elections to Maski and RR Nagar constituencies have been withheld as separate cases, which are pending before the High Court.

Of the 15 constituencies, 12 were represented by Congress and three by JD(S).