Bengaluru, June 8 (IANS) Karnataka BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra said the party leadership has selected competent candidates for the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections, and the decision has brought satisfaction among party leaders and workers.

Speaking to the media in the city on Monday, responding to a question on former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s name not being considered for the Rajya Sabha, Vijayendra said that Deve Gowda has strengthened Prime Minister Narendra Modi and supported the NDA, and that the party holds great respect for him.

However, he said there was no discussion at the state level regarding sending him to the Rajya Sabha, and in the current political situation, suitable candidates have been given an opportunity, including party workers who have served sincerely.

Prof. M. Nagaraj has been nominated for the Rajya Sabha, while Lingaraj Patil and Raghu Kautilya have been named as candidates for the Legislative Council elections. He said all of them have been actively involved in party organisation in various capacities.

He said Rajya Sabha nominee M. Nagaraj belongs to the Kuruba community and has served in the RSS and ABVP. He has held various organisational posts in the party and was also a state BJP vice president. Vijayendra also noted that Nagaraj had served in the Karnataka Public Service Commission during the tenure of former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.

He further said Legislative Council candidate Lingaraj Patil has been involved in organisational responsibilities at district and state levels for 37-38 years and has worked extensively for the party, including in the ABVP.

Raghu Kautilya, he said, belongs to the Madiwala community and has experience in education and journalism. Vijayendra added that the selection of all these candidates has brought satisfaction.

On former MP Sumalatha Ambareesh, Vijayendra said her name had been considered for the Rajya Sabha. He recalled that the BJP had supported her when she contested as an Independent from Mandya, and she won by a large margin. He said she was later asked to step aside for Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in the previous election and would be given a suitable position in the future.

On portfolio allocation, he said it has become a challenge for Chief Minister Shivakumar and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, alleging that the government has not undertaken any development work in the last three years.

He added that the government should stop quarrelling over portfolios and focus on governance. He also alleged that the government’s debt has reached Rs 10 lakh crore, the cabinet has not been fully formed, and district in-charge allocations have not yet been completed.

It can be noted that Congress General Secretary and Karnataka In-Charge Randeep Singh Surjewala earlier in the day criticised the BJP and JD(S) leadership over the reported denial of Rajya Sabha nomination to former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, calling the development politically “astonishing and eye-opening”.

On the other hand, Karnataka State Congress President B.K. Hariprasad on Monday, speaking to the media in Bengaluru, described the BJP’s reported decision to deny a Rajya Sabha ticket to former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda as a “betrayal of the people of the state”.

–IANS

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