Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Kiccha Sudeep likely to become star-campaigner for BJP

Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to retain power and form government for the second time in the state. For the same, the saffron party is not only fielding national leaders to campaign for the party but also Kannada actors, who have a strong fan base in the state and across the southern part of India. Among the actors being fielded is Kannada superstar Kiccha Sudeep, who is likely to campaign for the ruling BJP as its star campaigner. 

Reports referring to Sudeep, who is expected to become a star campaigner for the ruling party, come amid speculations of him joining the BJP on April 5. Along with Sudeep, Kannada movie actor Darshan Thoogudeepa is also likely to join the saffron party ahead of the assembly polls. According to ANI sources, both actors will join the party at around 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm at a private hotel in the state's capital city Bengaluru on Wednesday. 

Kiccha Sudeep, aged 51, is a popular actor with a massive fan following across Southern India. He hails from the Valmiki Nayaka community, notified under the Scheduled Castes list in the state. The community is believed to have a great influence in the Kalyana-Karnataka region. 

BJP's first list of candidates on April 8

The BJP state core committee held a meeting on Tuesday, chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, to decide the final list of candidates who will contest the upcoming assembly polls. The party is likely to release the first list of candidates on April 8. While addressing the reporters, Basavaraj Bommai asserted that the state core committee will hold a meeting for two days, starting from Tuesday, in which the final names of candidates will be decided. 

"BJP screening committee meeting will be held in Bengaluru on April 4 and 5. The opinion of district-wise core committee members has been collected and it will be discussed in the screening committee meeting. The recommended names of candidates will be sent to the Central Parliamentary Board Committee. They will hold a meeting on April 8, following which the final names will be declared," said Bommai. 

According to the Election Commission, the single-phase polling to elect 224 members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly will be conducted on May 10, with the counting of votes and declaration of results on May 13. Political parties including BJP, Congress, and JD(S) have locked horns as the assembly polls are set to decide the political wind in the 2024 general elections.