HUBBALLI/ BELAGAVI
A day after he spoke about contemplating his candidature from Belagavi and party leaders discussing the issue with him, former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar now seems more confident of getting BJP ticket from Belagavi Lok Sabha constituency.
Meanwhile the incumbent MP from Belagavi and his relative Mangala Angadi has confirmed rumours about Shettar replacing her in Belagavi.
Mr. Shettar who cut short his Raichur tour after the announcement of the second list and flew to Bengaluru to meet former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa now seems more confident of getting the ticket.
According to reliable sources, Mr. Shettar had reportedly insisted on a ticket from the constituencies of erstwhile undivided Dharwad district (Dharwad and Haveri), while the party high command was keen on him contesting from Belagavi. Mr. Shettar reportedly was not keen on Belagavi, because of which his name did not figure in the second list. And now that he had given his consent, his name is likely to figure in the third list, sources said.
Speaking to presspersons in Belagavi, Mangala Angadi, MP and BJP leader, confirmed the rumours about her relative Mr. Shettar replacing her in Belagavi and said she would gracefully accept the decision of the party.
“This time, I wanted one of my daughters Spoorthi Patil or Shraddha Shettar to get the party ticket. But we heard that Mr. Shettar will get the ticket. It was disappointing to learn at first. But then, I gracefully accept the party’s decision,” she said.
Mr. Shettar’s son Sankalp Shettar is married to Mangala Angadi’s daughter Shraddha.
“They gave me the ticket when my husband Suresh Angadi died. I did not want to contest then, but the party persuaded me. Mr. Shettar also appealed to me to accept it. I agreed and won the election. I served a near full term. But this time, I was not very keen. I wanted to step back so that my daughters got the ticket. When we did not find either my name or the names of my daughters in the list of nominees, we all went to New Delhi to meet leaders. But we learnt that the party had decided on fielding Mr. Shettar. We came back to Belagavi,’‘ she said.
She said that Mr. Shettar had already spoken to MLAs and party workers before deciding to contest. Now, we will all support his campaign, Ms. Angadi said.
