BJP announces second list of candidates for Karnataka polls, no Muslims or Christians given ticket

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday has announced its second list of candidates for the Karnataka Assembly elections scheduled for 12 May 2018.

According to CNN-News18, no Muslim or Christian candidate has been given a ticket by the BJP.

The BJP on Sunday had announced the first list of 72 candidates who will contest the high-stakes Karnataka assembly polls. While the BJP’s first list of candidates included seasoned politicians like five-time MLA S Angara, an MLA from Sullia, it has fielded new faces from other constituencies in the state. The party's chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa is slated to contest from Shikaripura.

The BJP's second list has come a day after the Congress come out with its first list of 218 candidates on Sunday. However, Congress party workers in the state didn't seem too convinced with the choice of candidates and took to streets on Monday to express their anger.

According to Congress general secretary Mukul Wasnik, who released the list in the national capital, the candidates were selected by the party's Central Election Committee from the names its screening committee recommended after a two-day meeting in New Delhi on 9 and 10 April.

BJP district president Sanjeeva Matandur said it was natural for new people to seek tickets as the party did not have MLAs in many Assembly segments. “There was a vacuum in seven constituencies where the party had lost in 2013. With a strong BJP wave in the district, the list of aspirants is long,” he said.

The BJP has also given a ticket to former Union minister Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, re-inducted into the party just a few days ago. He will contest from Vijayapura.

Meanwhile, Janata Dal (Secular) has already announced candidates for 126 constituencies. The party is in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party for Karnataka polls.

Krishnaiah Setty, an old associate of Yeddyurappa, has been fielded from from Malur. Among the seats for which the party is yet to announce candidates is Varuna, for which Yeddyurappa's son B Y Vijayendra is seen as a strong contender.

With inputs from PTI