It’s one more son rising in BJP, as party picks Bharath Bommai; second seat goes to party worker

BJP leadership surprises with choices for Shiggaon and Sandur by-elections, including Basavaraj Bommai's son and Bangaru Hanumantha.

The BJP high command’s choice of former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s son Bharath Bommai for the Shiggaon byelection came amid repeated assertions by the father that he was not interested in fielding his son. He had made statements to this effect even on Saturday evening, hours before the announcement.

For the Sandur Assembly constituency (reserved for ST), the BJP leadership has chosen State president of the party’s ST Morcha Bangaru Hanumantha, a first-generation politician. His candidature has surprised many in the party, according to insiders and local leaders.

Mr. Basavaraj Bommai had told presspersons in Delhi earlier in the day, before he met party president J.P. Nadda, that “for personal reasons” he had requested the party not to consider his son for the ticket. However, later in the evening, Mr. Bharath Bommai’s name was announced.

Mr. Bharath Bommai, 35, is an entrepreneur, who holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Purdue University, U.S., and MBA from Singapore Management University. He has been running several engineering companies since 2014. Despite his father being in politics for a long time, he had stayed away from politics for the most part and his political stint started after Mr. Basavaraj Bommai became the Chief Minister.

The last two election campaigns of his father — the 2023 Assembly polls and the 2024 parliamentary polls — were managed by Mr. Bharath Bommai and that seems to be the reason for the party preferring him for the seat where his father has won four times in a row.

On the other hand, Mr. Hanumantha presents a picture of contrast and is seen as a surprise choice. A native of Kudligi taluk of Ballari district, he has been working for the party at the grassroots level for two decades. He served as Kudligi taluk Yuva Morcha president and was appointed as district executive committee member before being made BJP ST Morcha State president.

Hailing from an agricultural family, he also produced and acted in a couple of Kannada films. He was also an aspirant for the 2019 Lok Sabha election ticket from the Ballari seat. Mr. Hanumantha contested from the Sandur Assembly constituency in 2018 as an Independent and secured 7,191 votes.