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Tejasvi Surya: OMG! A 28-year-old rookie in a BJP stronghold

NEW DELHI: It was an anti-climax of sorts when after rumours of Prime Minister Narendra Modi contesting from South Bengaluru, the candidate turned out to be a 28-year-old lawyer, who is general secretary of the youth wing of the state BJP unit. The seat fell vacant after the demise of party veteran Ananth Kumar last year who has won the seat every time since 1999.



Even more surprising is the fact that Surya has been given the ticket sidelining Ananth Kumar's widow Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, who was reportedly recommended by Karnataka BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa and had even started campaigning in the constituency.

How did this rookie win such an important nomination? He will be fighting against Congress veteran BK Hariprasad who was defeated by Ananth Kumar in 1999. The decision surprised Surya too. This is how he reacted on Twitter:


Surya comes from Chikmagalur district and is the nephew of Basavanagudi MLA L. A. Ravisubramanya and is said to have strong backing of BJP national joint general secretary (organisation) B.L.Santhosh. An articulate speaker and a right-wing social-media activist, he is thought to be close to the RSS. He has been associated with the social media cell of he state unit. He is part of the BJP's National Social Media Campaign Team for 2019.

Surya's ticket could be part of BJP's plan to introduce more young leaders in the party. Also, since he comes from a Brahmin family, his candidature from a constituency dominated by Brahmins is not odd. By not fielding Ananth Kumar's widow, the BJP is also making a statement against dynastic politics of the JD(S) and the Congress.

Since it is considered a safe seat for the BJP, it will not be a struggle for Surya despite some unrest among pro-Tejasvini workers. After BJP's VK Gowda won it in 1991, the party has always bagged Bengaluru South.

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