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BJP picks Surya over Tejaswini for Bangalore South

Bengaluru, March 26

The BJP on Tuesday named its Karnataka Yuva Morcha General Secretary Tejaswi Surya as its Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat candidate, shattering late Ananth Kumar's supporters' hopes of seeing his widow contest from the prestigious seat.

The party's central election committee decided early in the day to field the 28-year-old Karnataka High Court lawyer over the party's state unit's recommendation, Tejaswini.

The late Union Minister's widow urged supporters of her husband to abide by the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) decision. 

"I urge all the BJP 'karyakartas' (workers), friends and well wishers who are anxious and upset and still visiting our house in large numbers -- it's time to show we are a 'party with a difference'. 

"We are all committed to tread the path of ideology and work for #NamoAgain2019," Tejaswini tweeted. 

Surya, touted to be a fiery orator is considered to be a protege of the party's right wing parent organisation -- the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak (RSS).

His surprise selection had dashed hopes of Tejaswini and her supporters of contesting from the high-profile seat, which her husband had won for a record six times since 1996.

Surya had earlier tweeted: "OMG OMG! I can't believe this. PM of world's largest democracy and President of the largest political party have reposed faith in a 28-year-old guy to represent them in a constituency as prestigious a Bangalore South. 

"This can happen only in my BJP. Only in #NewIndia of @narendramodi," tweeted Surya after the party selected him.

Tejaswini told her supporters: "Lets all abide by the decision of the central leadership and work towards #NamoAgain." She told the party cadres that Kumar believed in "Nation first, party next, I last."

The Congress' Rajya Sabha member B.K. Hariprasad, named on Monday, will be up against Surya when the state goes to poll on April 18.

The BJP also named Aswath Narain as its candidate from Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency against sitting Congress member D.K. Suresh, who is re-contesting for the second time.