K S Eshwarappa hosts late night dinner for Amit Shah

BJP chief Amit Shah ended the first day of his tour in the state by attending dinner hosted by senior leader K S Eshwarappa in the city on Monday night.

It was a sort of dinner diplomacy by Eshwarappa, who has been at loggerheads with the party's state president B S Yeddyurappa over the issue of party tickets.

Yeddrurappa and top BJP leaders attended the dinner.   Shah arrived for the dinner at 11 pm.

According to party sources, Eshwarappa is apprehensive that he may be denied the ticket to contest from Shivamogga city, his home constituency. Yeddyurappa is keen that the ticket is given to his close aide Rudregowda. Rudregowda lost by a narrow margin in the 2013 polls on a KJP ticket, in which Eshwarappa came third.

By inviting Shah for the dinner, Eshwarappa wanted to send a meesage that he can pull strings at the top level. Shah was yet to come out of the dinner meeting at the time of goong to press.