protest over Belagavi ticket

Discontent continues to brew within the Karnataka unit of the BJP over the allocation of ticket from the Belgaum (Belagavi) seat for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

It is being speculated that former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who had returned to the BJP in January after quitting the Congress, may be fielded from Belagavi, currently represented by Mangala Angadi, the widow of former Union Minister of State Suresh Angadi.

BJP cadres in Belagavi have launched a 'Go Back Jagadish' campaign against the former Chief Minister, demanding that party tickets be allocated to insiders rather than some 'outsider' who had recently joined the party.The discord has been echoed in both physical and virtual modes, with BJP workers in the region launching a social media onslaught against Shettar, labelling him a 'turncoat'.

Accusations against Shettar have further fueled the fire, with BJP leaders alleging that he has engaged in acts of betrayal within the party ranks. Moreover, there are allegations that Shettar has diverted developmental projects meant for Belagavi to other regions, particularly Hubballi-Dharwad.

Notably, former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa last week said that Shettar would contest from Belagavi in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

"I'm confident he will win by a huge margin," Yediyurappa said.

Shettar is a senior Lingayat leader who has held several portfolios in Karnataka.

Sources say that the BJP wants to replace Mangala with a strong candidate to retain the Belagavi seat, and Shettar’s name is doing the rounds as he also happens to be a relative of the Angadi family.