State BJP keeps Yeddyurappa off poll campaign

Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda and party State president K S Eshwarappa are working overtime to ensure BJP candidates’ victory in the Council polls from Teachers’ and Graduates’ constituencies to be held on June 10.

The polls have become a prestige issue for the two, as they want to send a strong signal to former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who has decided to distance himself from the campaigning.

The BJP has already announced its candidates for the six seats, three each from teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies.

Gowda and Eshwarappa want to prove wrong the argument of the Yeddyurappa camp that he is indispensable to the party.

The Yeddyurappa camp has been attributing  Udupi-Chikmagalur bypoll debacle to Yeddyurappa distancing himself from the campaigning.

Eshwarappa held a series of meetings with legislators and party workers through the day on Sunday in preparation for the upcoming polls.

 At a meeting convened in the evening in the presence of Sadananda Gowda and Home Minister R Ashoka, it was decided to constitute a four campaign committees to tour the State.

Gowda said he will head one of the four campaign committees while the remaining three will be headed by Eshwarappa, Jagadish and Ashoka-Suresh Kumar.

Yeddyurappa has not been entrusted with any poll duty. Moreover, some of Yeddyurappa’s loyalists are likely to keep away from the polls.

The move can be seen in the light of the decision taken by Yeddyurappa to refrain from participating in any of the party events, at a press conference in the City on Saturday.

To a query, Eshwarappa said the Cabinet expansion would be taken up only after the Council polls.

A section of legislators in the party have been putting pressure on both the State and Central leadership to take up Cabinet expansion at the earliest.

Chikmagalur MLA C T Ravi has even submitted a memorandum signed by 70 legislators seeking early Cabinet expansion.

However, both Sadananda and Eshwarappa are apprehensive about the expansion at a time when Yeddyurappa has been making brazen attacks against the  party leadership.