A 'sun' rise that had Karnataka BJP leaders and workers in the dark

BENGALURU: The BJP’s midnight coup announcing Tejasvi Surya as the party’s candidate for Bengaluru South constituency has stunned both leaders and workers, besides exposing its faultlines with the

Sangh Parivar

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State BJP president BS Yeddyurappa said: “We had sent only one name — that of Tejaswini (wife of late minister HN Ananth Kumar). I don’t know the reason for BJP picking Surya. I have given him the ‘B’ Form.”

Not just the party and workers, the 28-year-old candidate — a law graduate and fiery speaker — sent out an ‘OMG’ tweet at 2.48am Tuesday, saying he, too, was surprised with the mantle falling on him. His candidature is said to have been mooted by the RSS against the lone name of Tejaswini Ananth Kumar proposed by the BJP Karnataka unit.

Hinting that she had been given short shrift, Tejaswini said she and her husband Ananth Kumar — who represented the constituency from 1996 nonstop — built the office ground up and added, “I appeal to the cadre to forget the internal differences and work for the nation. We will campaign for Surya.”