Council polls: Horatti says he is official candidate of BJP

Former Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti, who has won for a record seven times in council election, announced on Sunday that he would be filing his nomination papers as the official candidate of BJP on May 26.

Former chairman of Legislative Council Basavaraj Horatti, who has won for a record seven times in the Council elections, announced on Sunday that he would be filing his nomination papers as the official candidate of the BJP on May 26.

Speaking to presspersons after inaugurating the BJP poll office in Dharwad on Sunday, Mr. Horatti, who quit the Janata Dal(Secular) to join BJP recently, said that there was no confusion as to who would be the official candidate of the BJP in the election for the Karnataka West Teachers constituency of the Legislative Council.

“I am the official candidate and will file my nomination papers on May 26,” he declared.

Mr. Horatti claimed that he had received the green signal from the BJP high command which had asked him to prepare for contesting the poll.

He said the State leaders of the party too had impressed upon the party high command on the necessity of fielding him and consequently his preparations had begun.

He, however, declined to comment on former MLC Mohan Limbikai’s claim that he (Limbikai) would be the official BJP candidate.

It might be recalled that despite Mr. Horatti announcing that he would contest as BJP candidate for the eighth term, aspirants for the party ticket, including Mr. Limbikai, have continued their efforts to get one.