Even as the Congress candidate for elections to the Legislative Council from South Teachers’ constituency Marithibbe Gowda is bracing to file his nomination papers on May 14, alliance partners - JD(S) and BJP - in the region are gripped by confusion over the alliance’s candidate.
After the BJP’s central leadership announced E.C. Ningaraju as the alliance’s candidate for South Teachers’ constituency, the JD(S) leaders in the region have begun exerting pressure on the party leadership to ensure that the BJP cedes the seat to its candidate.
While the sources in the BJP said the party leadership normally does not change its candidate after a formal announcement, Mr. Ningaraju has begun his campaign by appealing to the voters to support him in the elections scheduled for June 3.