The former Minister A.H. Vishwanath, who was denied BJP ticket to contest election to the Legislative Council from the Assembly constituency, is aspiring to enter the Upper House of the State legislature through a government nomination.
Mr. Vishwanath, who has written seven books, told The Hindu that Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa had assured to nominate him to the Legislative Council. The BJP government is due to nominate five persons to the Council from the fields of literature, sports, science, media, and arts by the month-end, said Mr. Vishwanath before expressing confidence of his nomination from the field of literature.
“I am also an author. There are very few politician-writers in India. I have written on State, national and international politics,” Mr. Vishwanath said, citing his works on the evolution of the British parliamentary system in the book Talking Shop, the system of governance in the oldest democratic country, Greece, in the book Athensna Rajyaadalitha, and so on.
Mr. Vishwanath said his nomination to the Council would also pave the way for a ministerial berth. He sought to clarify that the Supreme Court order does not come in the way of him securing either a nomination to the Council or a ministerial berth.
The Supreme Court order pertains only to the Lower House and not to the Upper House. He said the apex court had upheld their disqualification from the Assembly, but said they can qualify again by contesting the elections, which they did.
“The tag of being disqualified is no longer there,” he said and even referred to the case of the former Minister N. Nagaraju (MTB), who was recently given ticket by the BJP to contest the Council polls after losing the Assembly byelection.
Mr. Vishwanath, who played a key role in the collapse of the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led coalition government last year by resigning from the Assembly along with 16 other coalition MLAs, lost the bypolls held in December last. His candidature for the elections to the Council from the Assembly constituency, scheduled to be held later this month, was rejected by the BJP’s central leadership though Mr. Yediyurappa had recommended his name.
