A meeting of party legislators elected from the City called by Ashok, who is also incharge minister for Bangalore (South), to elicit their opinion on the mayoral candidate had to be cancelled following several legislators deciding to stay away from the meeting.
“Only the chief minister and the party president can convene such meetings. Only they are authorised to select the new mayor,” Jayanagar MLA B N Vijayakumar and president of the city unit of the party said.
The legislators are also upset at Ashok trying to take total credit for the victory of the BJP in the BBMP polls. The minister is said to be pushing the name of Sarakki corporator S K Nataraj for the mayor’s post.
State BJP President K S Eshwarappa said no individual will take a decision on the selection. “We have already held one round of meeting with the corporators. The office-bearers of the city unit will be meeting soon to discuss. It is finally the party which will have the say,” he said.
Ashok maintained that there is no rift in the party. “I had not called a formal meeting. The new mayor will be selected under the leadership of the chief minister, party president K S Eshwarappa and national general secretary Ananth Kumar,” he said.
Published 08 April 2010, 19:09 IST