BJP top brass to stand by Yeddyurappa, not to placate Eshwarappa

The BJP top leadership is believed to have made it clear to its Karnataka unit that it will stand by former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa's leadership, despite repeated troubles engineered by rebel leader K S Eshwarappa.

BJP sources aware of the developments said that Eshwarappa, leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council, has been conveyed to pipe down public display of his differences with Yeddyurappa. They also said that national joint secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh, who is said to be the force multiplier in the Eshwarappa group, too has been conveyed the message of the top brass through “appropriate” channels. The understanding emerging among the BJP leadership is that it may not placate the Eshwarappa camp if another bout of internal struggle surfaces.

A BJP leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah have made it clear the strife between the two factions would be handled sternly as the organisation cannot afford to lose an opportunity to return to power in Karnataka in the 2018 elections.
The party is looking for a win in Karnataka Assembly polls so that it can provide a window to expand in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, a BJP leader said.

The two-day executive meeting of the BJP's state unit in Mysuru recently went off without any incident that could have been embarrassing, with Eshwarappa finally attending it. But, some leaders fear that the feud may not be over. 

Earlier, the BJP had cracked the whip on the two warring factions by removing two leaders each from both the camps from positions in the party organisation.