Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP president and former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa dismissed reports that stated Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be a candidate for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Karnataka. He also termed it “far from the truth” on Monday. 

Yeddyurapp stated that the BJP contestants for the Assembly and Parliamentary by-polls from the state scheduled for November 3 will be decided at the party’s core committee meeting soon.

The state BJP president responded to reporters about reports that claimed PM Narendra Modi will be a candidate from Karnataka. He said, “All this is far from the truth, unnecessarily such news is being spread. There is no substance in it.”

The BJP has not been in power in any of the southern states of India currently. Reports from local media stated that in order to ensure BJP gains leadership, PM Modi will be contesting Lok Sabha elections from Karnataka and Varanasi, which he currently represents. 

Karnataka is the only southern state that has substantial BJP supporters and it's a place that had BJP as the ruling government in the past. 

Yeddyurappa mentioned that he has been meeting other party officials to finalise the list of candidates for the Lok Sabha and Assembly by-election and that it would be decided soon.

BSY also stated that consultations are made and that candidates have been decided for almost all constituencies for the by-polls. He also added, "We will hold further discussions today and tomorrow before finalizing the names."

The Election Commission has announced by-elections for parliamentary constituencies Shivamogga, Ballari and Mandya, and two Assembly constituencies, Ramanagara and Jamkhandi. According to the announcement, elections are on November 3 and counting is slated for November 6. 

The resignation of BJP MPs BS Yeddyurappa (Shivamogga), B Sriramalu (Ballari), and CS Puttaraju of JD(S) (Mandya) as lawmakers during the state election in May necessitated the by-election. 

The death of Congress lawmaker Siddu Nyamagouda necessitated the by-polls in Jamkhandi Assembly seat, whilst the Ramanagara seat fell vacant as a result of HD Kumaraswamy giving up the same and retaining Channapatna, which is the other seat won by him during the Assembly election in Karnataka.