Fence-sitters to be denied BJP tickets

The State BJP on Monday waved the ‘party ticket’ card in a bid to prevent its members from even identifying with the B S Yeddyurappa’s proposed Karnataka Janata Party.

BJP State president K S Eshwarappa said any legislator who identifies with the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) would not be given party ticket for the Assembly elections.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of party office bearers and executive committee members of all morchas in Bangalore, Eshwarappa said all sitting legislators will be given party tickets to contest the Assembly polls only if they remain loyal to the BJP.

He indicated that legislators Hartal Halappa, D S Suresh, B P Harish and Nehru Olekar, who had issued statements against the party, would be denied tickets. Yeddyurappa is set to formally launch the KJP at a rally in Haveri on December 9.

Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka said the BJP was like a big banyan tree.
“The party is deep-rooted, felling of one or two branches will not affect it.”

Addressing a press conference in the evening, party MP Nalin Kumar Katil said the day-long meeting decided to hold district and constituency-level political conventions across the State in December and January to highlight the achievements of the State government.

The seven morchas in the party will also hold rallies across the State soon after the conclusion of the legislature session in Belgaum, he said.