Date:26/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/26/stories/2008112651570600.htm

Karnataka

BJP in a fix over Karwar bypoll

Deepak Kumar

Asnotikar facing criminal case

Anand Asnotikar

Karwar: The announcement of the byelection to the Legislative Assembly from Karwar constituency has put the Bharatiya Janata Party in a fix.

Though the party hopes to win the seat hands down, the cause for worry is the criminal case filed by the returning officer against its candidate, Minister for Fisheries, Science and Technology Anand Asnotikar, for concealing information about his assets in the affidavits filed when he contested the Assembly elections earlier this year as the Congress candidate.

He subsequently resigned from the Assembly and joined the BJP and was made a Minister.

Mr. Asnotikar did not give the details of some of the property he owned in Mudageri village near Karwar.

The dilemma for the ruling party is that the Minister has to file a fresh affidavit now to contest the byelection.

If he mentions the Mudageri property in the new affidavit, his opponents may use it in court to show that he did indeed hide the truth last time, and he may be disqualified by the court on that ground.

If he again omits the property in the declaration, he may yet be disqualified because the returning officer has already ruled that he did not disclose details about that property.

Though BJP leaders are keeping mum on the issue, the Congress is eagerly waiting for the new affidavit to be filed by the Minister.

As a precaution, the BJP is reported to have asked the Minister to find a dummy candidate. In case his nomination papers are rejected this time, then the dummy candidate chosen by him will contest the byelection on the party symbol.

It is said that the Minister is said keen to field his mother, Shobhalata Asnotikar, as the BJP candidate if his nomination papers are rejected. The catch is that she is a Congress MLC.

She has to resign from the Congress and the Council before she can contest as a BJP candidate.

However, even if she resigns now, the BJP is not sure whether her resignation will be accepted before the last date for filing nominations for the byelection.