BJP leaders, including party State unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa, have thrown their weight behind M. Nagaraj in a bid to end the winning streak of the former Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) candidate Basavaraj Horatti from the Karnataka West Teachers constituency.
In the last fortnight, several senior leaders of the party, such as Mr. Yeddyurappa; Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar; Pralhad Joshi, MP; Union Minister Ananth Kumar; the former Ministers Aravind Limbavali, C.M. Udasi, and C.C. Patil; and Shivakumar Udasi and Anant Kumar Hegde, MPs, campaigned for him.
Such a hectic campaigning for the teachers’ constituency is happening for the first time and BJP leaders in the region, who have often been accused of having a “hidden understanding” with Mr. Horatti during the election, were seen actively campaigning for their candidate.
A former president of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad State unit and a former member of the Karnataka State Public Service Commission, Mr. Nagaraj is a close aide of Mr. Joshi and was involved in students’ agitations. In fact, his candidature was announced much in advance by the then State president Mr. Joshi. The preparations also began well in advance.
Mr. Nagaraj knows that he is pitted against a heavyweight, who has represented the constituency for six times, but he is appealing for a change this time. It seems the BJP leaders seem to have taken it upon themselves to get Mr. Nagaraj elected. A few of Mr. Horatti’s critics too have joined hands with them. And they are also appealing to the voters for a change.
