Nanjangud: With the State Assembly polls just a couple of months away, hectic political activities have begun in Nanjangud BJP, with leaders vying with each other for getting the party ticket.

Former Minister and senior BJP leader V. Sreenivasa Prasad, who quit his Assembly seat from Nanjangud after being unceremoniously dropped from Siddharamaiah’s Cabinet, contested the by-polls that ensued and lost to Congress candidate Kalale Keshavamurthy.

Sreenivasa Prasad, who is hell-bent to ensure the defeat of the Congress in the forthcoming Assembly polls, is working hard to avenge his defeat. However, Prasad’s declaration that he would not contest the polls, triggered a flurry of activities in Nanjangud BJP, with  party leaders trying to out with each other in getting the party ticket from this SC reserved constituency.

The top BJP contenders are said to be S. Mahadevaiah,      who lost to Sreenivasa Prasad by a slender margin of 753 votes in the 2013 Assembly polls, District BJP President Kote M. Shivanna and noted advocate S. Arun Kumar.

As the BJP top brass is looking for a winning candidate, party insiders say it was doubtful that S. Mahadevaiah, who has lost twice, may get the party ticket again.

As far Kote Shivanna is concerned, the BJP High Command is said to be looking at fielding him from Chamarajanagar   (SC) constituency for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Another prominent aspirant S. Arun Kumar is an advocate by profession and has worked for the cause of Uppara, Nayaka, Kumbara communities, who together play a crucial role in deciding the wining chances of candidates.

Apart from having considerable influence among young voters, Arun Kumar is said to have the support of State BJP President B.S. Yeddyurappa and MP Shobha Karandlaje and may ultimately become the party’s  choice.

The other leaders who are said to be lobbying for the ticket are Harshvardhan, son-in-law of V. Sreenivasa Prasad, former Zilla Panchayat (ZP) Vice-President K. Shivaram and ZP Member Dayanand.

However, it is to be seen who gets the BJP ticket to contest the Assembly polls and the wait is certainly be till the last minute, according to party insiders.

Even as the race for getting the Nanjangud BJP ticket has begun, the Adijambava Yuvavedike, Nanjangud, has urged the BJP to issue the party ticket to either Kote M. Shivanna or S. Aruna Kumar, who come from Adijambava community.

Vedike President Hullahalli Nanjunda said that there are 15,000 Adijambava community voters in Nanjangud Assembly segment and the votes of the community was crucial for the BJP to win the seat. As such, the State BJP President B.S. Yeddyurappa should consider one of the two leaders for the seat, he said.