Vishwanath, Yogeshwar among 5 nominated to Karnataka legislative council

 

Bengaluru: Adagur H Vishwanath and C P Yogeshwar, who played a key role in the BJP coming to power, are among the five, who have been nominated by the Governor to the Karnataka Legislative Council on Wednesday.

Also Shantharama Budna Siddi, a tribal leader from Siddi community, believed to be the descendants of the Bantu people in East Africa, has been nominated.

“In exercise of the powers vested in me by the sub- clause (e) of clause (3) of Article 171 of the Constitution of India, I, Vajubhai Vala, Governor of Karnataka, nominate the following persons to be the members of the Karnataka Legislative Council, with immediate effect,” an official gazette notification said.

The names include C P Yogeshwar, Adagur H Vishwanath, Bharathi Shetty, Shantharama Budna Siddi, and Talwar Sabanna.

Official sources said the nominations have been made based on the recommendation made by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

Earlier in the day Yediyurappa had met Governor Vala at the Raj Bhavan.

Vishwanath, a former Minister, who was in JD(S) had defected to BJP after rebelling against the then ruling coalition, along with other legislators.

He had subsequently lost the bypolls on BJP ticket from Hunsur assembly constituency (that had fallen vacant following his disqualification), during the December bypolls.

Vishwanath had been lobbying for the MLC seat by repeatedly reminding Yediyurappa and other leaders about his “sacrifice” in BJP coming to power.

He has also openly expressed his Ministerial aspirations in the past. His name was even recommended for MLC polls to be elected by MLAs held last month, but was rejected by the high command.

C P Yogeshwar, an actor-turned politician, is said to have been rewarded for his instrumental role in managing the rebel MLAs that eventually led to the fall of the Congress-JD (S) coalition government in July last year.

The other three nominated are BJP Mahila Morcha State President Bharathi Shetty, Shantharama Budna Siddi, a tribal leader associated with Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, a key affiliate of RSS and Talwar Sabanna who is from the field of Education, a professor in economics.