After the candidates were announced, dissent broke out in several key constituencies including Shimoga, Belagavi, Davanagere and Raichur.
Karnataka BJP leaders, including BS Yediyurappa, BY Vijayendra, party's state president. (Supplied)
The BJP leaders in Karnataka seem to have successfully addressed the dissent that emerged in the state unit of the party following the announcement of the candidates for the Lok Sabha elections from the state.
However, the dissent in Shimoga and Raichur constituencies still haunts the saffron party. The former is the home turf of BJP’s senior leader and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa.
The BJP is in alliance with the JD(S) for the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka with the saffron party contesting in 25 constituencies and the regional party in the remaining three constituencies.
After the candidates were announced, dissent broke out in several key constituencies including Shimoga, Belagavi, Davanagere, Koppal, Raichur, Tumakuru and Bidar.
To tackle the dissent, the state leadership formed several teams comprising senior party leaders and entrusted them to mollify the unhappy leaders of the party.
The party anticipated that the disgruntled leaders, who were aspiring candidates, could threaten the party’s prospects before the campaign heat picked up in the state.
BJP leaders, including former minister and party’s state vice-president Murugesh Nirani, MLC and party’s chief whip in Legislative Council N Ravikumar, MLA and party’s chief whip in Legislative Assembly Doddanagouda Patil and other leaders were part of this task force.
Even though the leaders quelled the dissent elsewhere, they were unsuccessful in pacifying former deputy chief minister KS Eshwarappa in Shimoga and BV Nayak in Raichur.
Both the leaders have threatened to contest as independent candidates since the saffron party failed to fulfil their demands.
The parliament elections are being held in two phases in Karnataka, with the first phase scheduled on 26 April and the second phase on 7 May. The results will be declared on 4 June.
BJP had denied around 13 sitting MPs the opportunity to contest the Lok Sabha elections, less than a month away.
However, some party leaders who were aspiring to contest the Lok Sabha elections were denied the opportunity, causing them to rebel against the party high command.
On condition of anonymity, a former BJP minister told South First: “The party formed a team under the headship of Murugesh Nirani, MLC Ravikumar and others to pacify the disgruntled leaders. The party held talks with all of them and resolved dissent in all seats except Shimoga and Raichur.”
“In Belagavi, former CM BS Yediyurappa pacified the dissenting leaders and party cadres who opposed former CM Jagadish Shettar’s candidacy. MP Renukacharya, a ticket aspirant, was upset over prioritising incumbent MP GS Siddeswara’s family in Davanagere.”
“The party has assured good positions to the rebel leaders. They were also asked not to take any extreme step in haste which could affect the party’s prospects in the polls. The disgruntled leaders have agreed to support the party’s candidates in their respective seats,” added the senior leader.
MLA Doddanagouda Patil told South First: “The party leadership held detailed talks with sitting MP Karadi Sanganna who was unhappy over the denied ticket. Party leaders assured him that good posts would be given to him in the party or government.”
“He agreed to campaign for the party candidate in Koppal. Apart from this, no counteroffers have been made to any of the dissenting leaders in the state. The high command is confident of pacifying the leaders in the remaining two seats, ahead of the first phase of the polls,” added Patil.
Meanwhile, pacifying the dissenting leaders in Shimoga and Raichur constituencies has become a herculean task for the saffron party.
After the party high command denied the Haveri-Gadag seat ticket to his son KE Kantesh, Eshwarappa — who had retired from electoral politics in 2023 — he would fight as an independent in the Shimoga seat.
A BJP team led by former minister Arga Jnanendra and MLC Ravikumar unsuccessfully tried to pacify Eshwarappa as he remained firm on contesting as an independent candidate. He blamed Yediyurappa for the party denying tickets to his son.
On condition of anonymity, a senior BJP leader told South First: “The party has made all the efforts to convince Eshwarappa but he is not budging. The high command has even made a counteroffer that his son would be made an MLA. He was not ready to heed.”
“He vented his anguish on the Yediyurappa family. Eshwarappa is a senior leader of the party. The party will find a way to address his concern as it could affect the party’s prospects to some extent in the Shimoga seat,” added the leader.
After the party announced a ticket to sitting MP Raja Amareshwara Naik in Raichur — reserved for a Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidate — Nayak declared rebellion and threatened to contest as an independent candidate. He also demanded the party to replace the sitting MP as the candidate.
After Nayak’s followers attempted suicide during a protest in Raichur, the state leadership entrusted MLA Doddanagouda Patil to take control of the situation. Even after holding talks with Nayak, he did not come to terms and continued with the dissent.
Doddanagouda Patil told South First: “The party had entrusted me the responsibility to pacify BV Nayak. We (BJP) held talks with him and local leaders. We told him that it is impossible to replace the candidate at this juncture.”
“He did not come to terms. Incumbent MP Raja Amareshwara Naik will be the party’s face. The party is confident of overcoming the rebellion in this seat. He was even offered a good position in the party but he did not change his stance,” added Patil.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)
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