Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has said that the Bharatiya Janata Party would field all the disqualified MLAs for the by-election for 15 Assembly segments.

“It because of the resignation submitted by these MLAs, that BJP could form government in Karnataka. Amit Shah, party national president has also given nod to field the disqualified MLAs,” he told press persons in Shikaripur on Monday.

Referring to the discontent prevailing among a section of BJP leaders over fielding the disqualified MLAs, he said that, there are few Assembly segments where their candidates had lost by a slim margin against the disqualified MLAs in the previous Assembly election and they want to contest the by-election. It has been decided to accommodate such aspirants in Boards and Corporations.

Referring to the statement by BJP leader Umesh Katti that the disqualified MLAs will not get the opportunity to contest the by-election, he said that, as the party national leadership has taken a call on fielding them, there should not be any confusion over the candidature. He requested the BJP leaders including the aspirants for the ticket to strive for the victory of the disqualified MLAs in the by-election.

When quizzed on the ‘tight-rope walking’ statement issued by him in Davangere, he said that, political meanings should not be attributed to it.

“When members of a Veerashaiva-Lingayat organisation submitted a memorandum in Davangere seeking funds, I told them that as I was receiving requests for funds from other communities also for community-Development works, it is difficult to meet the expectations of all. In that context I said that running the government was like walking on tight-rope,” he said.