Eshwarappa on tenterhooks over BSY move to deny him ticket

Supporters of former deputy chief minister K S Eshwarappa have threatened to revive the Sangolli Rayanna Brigade if their leader is denied a BJP ticket to contest the Assembly polls from his home constituency of Shivamogga city.

Eshwarappa had associated himself with the Brigade, a forum for the welfare of OBCs and Dalit, but later distanced himself following the intervention of BJP national president Amit Shah. BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa had taken exception to Eshwarappa associating himself with the Brigade.

It is said Yeddyurappa held a meeting at his residence in Shivamogga, seeking opinion from local leaders on whether Eshwarappa should be given a ticket to contest the polls as he had fared badly in the 2013 polls. It is said Yeddyurappa is keen to give the ticket to his close aide Rudregowda.

A delegation of BJP leaders led by Bilaki Krishnamurthy met Yeddyurappa at his residence on Wednesday night and urged him to issue ticket to Rudregowda.

Krishnamurthy reportedly said Eshwarappa would lose the deposit if he contests the election. So, the party must issue ticket to Rudregowda, who had lost the previous polls on a KJP ticket by a narrow margin.

Reacting to it, Eshwarappa said, "Krishnamurthy's statement has hurt me a lot. It is an insult to the party organisation. Thousands of party workers called me and expressed their disappointment over the development."

Eshwarappa is learnt to have told his supporters to write to Shah about the development. In a letter to Shah, the supporters are learnt to have said that Eshwarappa is a senior leader of the party and a deserving candidate. He has taken on the Congress government both inside and outside the legislature. They have said that they will have revive the Brigade if Eshwarappa was denied a ticket, sources said.