Bengaluru/Hubballi (Karnataka) : BJP announced the ticket for its state general secretary Mahesh Tenginakai in Hubli-Dharwad Central to take on former CM Jagadish Shettar. With this, the contest is going to be Guru Vs Shishya here. BJP released the third list of candidates for 10 constituencies including the Hubli Dharwad Central Assembly Constituency on Monday. BJP has decided to field BJP General Secretary Mahesh Tenginakai against former CM Jagadish Shettar who joined the Congress after being denied BJP ticket.
In its first and second lists, BJP announced tickets for 189 and 23 candidates, a total of 212. Now 10 more seats are announced in the third list with the total reaching 222. BJP is yet to announce tickets for two seats - Shivamogga and Manvi.
Now, Mahesh Tenginakai will face his own guru and six-time BJP MLA Jagadish Shettar, who joined the Congress in the presence of AICC president Mallikharjuna Kharge and Congress Karnataka chief D K Shivakumar. Due to this, there will be a keen contest between Mahesh Tenginakai and Jagadish Shettar. Interestingly, Shettar is a political mentor for Mahesh Tenginakayi since the latter's entry into politics.
After the release of BJP's third list, activists wished good luck by distributing sweets at Mahesh Tenginakai's office in Deshpande Nagar, Hubli. Speaking on the occasion, Tenginakai thanked BJP State President, Chief Minister Bommai and others for giving him the ticket. "Considering it as a challenging task. I will win the election," said Mahesh Tenginakai after announcing the BJP ticket.
Speaking to the media in the city, Tenginakai said the BJP has given a ticket to an activist like him. "We have worked with Shettar in all his six elections. This is proof that anything can happen in politics," he said. Answering the question of whether the Shisya wins against the Guru, he said, "We will go to the people on the strength of development programmes of the central and state governments. Hope that I will definitely win", Mahesh Tenginkai said.
Former Minister Aravind Limbavali's wife Manjula Arvind Limbavali has got the ticket for the Mahadevapura Constituency. BJP has fielded Katta Jagadish, son of former Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu from Hebbal. MP Karadi Sanganna's daughter in-law Manjula Amaresh has been given ticket for Koppal Assembly segment. In Bengaluru city's Govindraj Nagar, Umesh Shetty was fielded.
In Mysuru district's Krishnaraja segment, Srivatsa, who is a novice, is given the ticket as BJP dropped four-time sitting MLA S A Ramadas. On the other hand, sitting MLAs Rajkumar Patil and Kalakappa Bandi are given tickets again from the Sedam and Ron.
