Bengaluru, (DHNS): BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa on Sunday said the party leadership has suggested to him to contest from a constituency in North Karnataka in the Assembly elections due early next year.

Speaking to reporters after inaugurating the executive committee meeting of the farmers’ wing here, the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate said the leaders are of the view that the party will stand to gain in north Karnataka if he contests from there.

“The party workers are mounting pressure on me to contest from either Ballari, Vijayapura or Haveri district.

I have not taken any decision in this regard so far. I will stick to the decision of the party leaders,” he added.

Yeddyurappa is currently a Member of Parliament from the Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency. He had represented Shikaripura Assembly constituency in that district for seven times since 1983. North Karnataka is considered the BJP’s stronghold. The party wants to win maximum number of seats from this part of the state to return to power and is hence planning to field Yeddyurappa from there, sources in the BJP said.

It is speculated in the BJP circles that three constituencies of Ranebennur (Haveri district), Terdal and Badami (both Bagalkot district) have been shortlisted for Yeddyurappa. B Y Raghavendra, Yeddyurappa’s son and the BJP MLA from Shikaripura, has been entrusted with the responsibility of nurturing Ranebennur constituency.

Raghavendra will seek re-election from Shikaripura in the next polls if his father decides to contest from a North Karnataka constituency. “I can never forget Shivamogga and Shikaripura. It is because of the party workers in the district, I have come up in politics. I never thought of changing the constituency. But, the party leaders are insisting me. I am in a dilemma,” Yeddyurappa said.

The former chief minister said the state government has failed on all fronts. People are fed up with maladministration. “It is the most corrupt government. Almost all the ministers are involved in some kind of corrupt activity,” he charged, adding that people have, therefore, decided to punish the ruling Congress in the next elections.