On Wednesday, March 8, B S Yediyurappa, the former Chief Minister of Karnataka and member of the BJP's Central Parliamentary Committee, announced that four to six BJP MLAs will not be receiving party tickets in the upcoming state Assembly elections. He also stated that the next chief minister will be chosen during the legislative party meeting after the elections in May, and the elections will be fought under the leadership of current CM Basavaraj Bommai.
Yediyurappa had previously announced his retirement from electoral politics on January 30, but clarified that though he will not contest elections, he will remain active in politics. He contested from the Shikaripura constituency in Shimoga district.
In response to Yediyurappa's statement, Revenue Minister R Ashoka said that it is unclear which of the MLAs will be dropped, as the party has conducted three surveys in the state and candidates will be selected based on their results.
In the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections, of the 224 seats in the Assembly, the BJP had won 104 seats, while the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) won 80 and 37 seats respectively. After many MLAs from the JD(S) and Congress shifted loyalties to the BJP, the party now has 119 MLAs, Congress has been reduced to 69 and JD(S) 30.