Karnataka: Rebels creating stir in BJP camp ahead of polls

With rebels giving a headache to the BJP in Karnataka ,party has given the responsibility of assuaging the dissidence to former chief minister Yediyurappa

Bengaluru: With rebels giving a headache to the BJP in Karnataka ahead of the May 10 Assembly election, the party has given the responsibility of assuaging the dissidence to former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, state unit BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel and Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Lakshman Savadi in the Yediyurappa-led Cabinet has recently quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and joined the Congress.

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Reacting to this, BJP in-charge for Karnataka polls, Arun Singh, on Friday said Savadi will not have any future in the Congress party.

“He has committed a blunder by joining Congress. He will repent,” Singh said.

“The doors would be permanently closed for those who deserted the party. It might take 20 years for the party to accept them back. His decision is selfish,” Arun Singh has stated.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said he was sad as Savadi saw a political future with the Congress.

Talking to reporters here on Friday, he said “it is common that there will be more aspirants in the ruling party. The party workers are with them”.

“The BJP will win the coming Assembly election with a thumping majority. Some of them have quit the party to become MLAs but the BJP workers are with them,” Bommai said.

The chief minister said the second list of candidates has already been released and the third list will be out soon. He will be filing his nomination papers in Shiggaon on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Mine, Coal and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi has stated that he is confident of former chief minister Jagadish Shettar getting a ticket.

The matter has been discussed with the national president and everything will end well, he said.

“The BJP won’t give tickets to fathers and sons like Congress. There were many candidates in the BJP party and this has led to confusion. The winning party will have more demand. In another two days, these confusions will end,” Joshi said.

Meanwhile, Karnataka unit Congress president D.K. Shivakumar said that 25 leaders of the BJP and the JD-S will join the Congress in the coming days.

“BJP will only win 60 seats and JD-S will not get more than 24 seats. The Congress is going to win 141 seats,” he said.