Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa on Wednesday had a candid confession to make: The BJP selected its nominees for the Assembly elections in 2008 on the basis of caste and money power the candidates wielded.

 “In a bid to emerge as the single largest party in 2008 (Assembly polls), caste and money power of candidates played a role to a certain extent while allotting tickets. There was no other option,” Eshwarappa, who is also the State BJP unit president, told mediapersons, admitting that the BJP had not achieved the natural growth to form the government after the last election.

“As a result some candidates who could not identify with the party’s ideology got elected,” he told a meet-the-press programme organised by the Bangalore Reporters’ Guild and the Press Club of Bangalore.

Soon, candidates who were elected because of their money power began asserting.
“If we had taken action, the government would not have survived for even six months”, he said, in an attempt to explain the reluctance of the BJP leadership to take any action against them.

Hope for change

“Cross-voting, some statements and actions of legislators have embarrassed the party and created confusion among the workers in the past. The party is hopeful that they (legislators) will change during the next six months. If they do not change, only then we will have to think about denying them party tickets,” Eshwarappa said.

“There is still time (for them) to change,” said Eshwarappa,  who has gone on record stating that the party would not give tickets for the 2013 Assembly elections to legislators who had cross-voted during the recent election to the Council.

However, Eshwarappa felt that party had made inroads in the State during the last four years and was confident of coming to power on its own in the 2013 Assembly polls. Replying to a query, Eshwarappa said a decision on who should lead the party during the next election would be taken after studying the ground realities ahead of the polls.

Reallocation of portfolios

The deputy chief minister reiterated that there would be a minor reallocation of portfolios in the Shettar Cabinet in the next few days.

“I have decided to retain the Revenue portfolio and my other portfolio - Rural Development and Panchayat Raj - would be allotted to someone else,” he said.