Dissent over BSY’s early candidate announcement for Assembly polls
Bengaluru: With nearly two years remaining for the next Assembly elections, former Chief Minister and BJP Parliamentary Board member B. S. Yediyurappa has stirred controversy within the party by announcing probable candidates for several constituencies, triggering resentment among a section of leaders.
While the Congress party is witnessing internal friction over leadership change speculations involving Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar, the BJP too appears to be grappling with internal discontent following Yediyurappa’s remarks.
The controversy erupted after Yediyurappa, during the birthday celebrations of former minister M.P. Renukacharya held in Honnali on February 28, publicly declared names of prospective BJP candidates for multiple constituencies. Among those he indicated were M.P. Renukacharya for Honnali, Madal Virupakshappa for Channagiri, Chandrashekar Pujari for Harihar, Lokikere Nagaraj for Davanagere North, S.V. Ramachandra for Jagalur and Karunakara Reddy for Harapanahalli.
The announcement reportedly upset several local leaders who felt the move bypassed established party procedures.
Former Davanagere BJP district general secretary Shantaraj Patil expressed strong displeasure, stating that candidates were announced without internal discussions. He said such statements were unexpected from a senior leader like Yediyurappa and described the move as a deviation from party protocol.
Patil pointed out that the BJP follows a structured process for candidate selection, with the Central Parliamentary Board of the Bharatiya Janata Party taking the final decision.
He added that publicly declaring names and appealing to party workers to ensure their victory well in advance of elections could create confusion and dissatisfaction within the ranks.
The episode has once again brought to the fore underlying factional tensions within the State BJP unit as the party begins early groundwork for the upcoming polls.
