The BJP's decision to withhold Tejaswini Ananth Kumar's candidature from Bangalore South has given rise to speculations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself might contest from the said Lok Sabha constituency. After not to declare Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) candidate from the south Bengaluru Lok Sabha constituency, it is a matter of discussion in the political corridor that Prime Minister Narendra Modi can contest from South Bengaluru constituency.

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The party on Thursday announced candidates for 21 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka -- interestingly leaving out its stronghold Bangalore South, from the list. Non-declaration of Tejaswini's candidature came as a complete surprise, given that she was tipped to succeed her late husband and former union minister H N Ananth Kumar, who had represented the seat six consecutive terms since 1996.

Despite running short of time, the BJP has decided to keep the guessing game on for Mandya, Bangalore South, Bangalore Rural and Kolar from Old Mysuru region. While the party has a strong probable candidate in Bangalore South in Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, the party has failed to arrive at a decision on where it stands in the battle for Mandya.

While a section of state leaders maintained that her name had been finalized and that it was a matter of time before the party announced her candidature, sources in the know told DH that there was no "oversight". “Many big names, including Sudha Murty and Rohini Nilekani, have been approached. The high command has larger plans for this seat,” said a confidante of state unit president BS Yeddyurappa. Modi instead has been advised to zero in on a seat in southern India, where the BJP's presence and his own popularity is limited.

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