Opinion among over a dozen former MLAs, who have identified themselves with Prakash, is divided over joining any political party. While many are eager to embrace the BJP, some are in favour of joining the Congress. This has only made Prakash’s task to take a collective decision tough.
According to sources close to the development, Prakash is now in a dilemma. “Many leaders want to join the saffron party as it has bright chances of emerging victorious in the coming election. But some are against it and they want to join the Congress,” sources stated.
Those favouring the BJP are of the view that they can reap the benefit of the ‘saffron wave’ and, hence, they have been pressurising Prakash to clinch a deal with the BJP. They also fear that they will be ill-treated in the Congress terming them as ‘outsiders’, as it has been happening with Siddaramaiah and his followers, sources said.
The former home minister did made an effort by holding parleys with State BJP leaders recently. But he failed to elicit good response, sources added.
In fact, the BJP’s ‘powerful’ Reddy brothers of Bellary opposed the party’s move to welcome Prakash, who also hails from the same district.
Reddy brothers have, in turn, assured that they will ensure the victory of the party candidate from Hadagali, from where Prakash had been representing the State Assembly, sources said.
This apparently has irked some senior leaders in the Prakash camp. They have advised their leader against knocking on the BJP’s doors any more and, instead, asked him to try to get into the Congress.
Though Prakash has convened a meeting of leaders on Thursday to discuss the issue, he is unlikely to take any decision.
Moreover, if sources are to be believed, both the BJP and the Congress want these former JD(S) men to join them unconditionally. In other words, none is ready to assure tickets to them to contest in the coming elections. “And if Prakash fails to clinch a deal, he may finally ask his followers to go their own way,” sources said.
Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, Prakash admitted that opinion is divided among his followers. “We need to discuss it out, and there is enough time for us to do it,” he stated.
 On the Bellary Reddy brothers opposing his joining the BJP, he said: “Their (Reddy brothers) reaction is quite natural. They have only explained the ground situation in Bellary to their leaders.”