Former BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel, who has been a three-time MP from Dakshina Kannada, might not receive a ticket this time. He has been internally blamed for the loss in the Karnataka polls last year. His casual approach to his duties as president had drawn criticism from the party's high command.
Former Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde is likely to be dropped from the Uttara Kannada seat. He has served as an MP six times. During his last tenure, he made comments against the Constitution and had to apologise in Parliament. Former Union Minister Sadananda Gowda, who is an MP from Bangalore North, might also not receive a ticket.
MPs from Bellary, Bijapur, and Kolar might also not receive tickets, according to internal discussions within the BJP.
The possibility of BJP dropping popular faces and replacing some sitting MPs with new faces has paved the way for aspirants within the saffron party. The BJP's candidate-selection process will also depend on its seat-sharing decision with alliance partner JD(S).
This comes against the backdrop of the recent quake at the grand old party with former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar rejoining the BJP and quitting Congress. He had joined Congress ahead of Assembly polls last year, after being denied a ticket by the BJP to contest the elections.
