JOIN USAn internal tussle in the state BJP is said to be the reason why an “angry” party state president B S Yeddyurappa on Monday announced that his son B Y Vijayendra will not contest from Varuna constituency in Mysuru district.
The party central leadership did not announce any candidate from Varuna till late night. Tuesday is the last date for filing nominations.
At a party meeting in Nanjangud, Yeddyurappa took everybody by surprise by stating, “Vijayendra is not filing nominations. A common man will be fielded. With folded hands I request all of you to support and bless that candidate and make him win.”
Yeddyurappa’s announcement led to violent protests by BJP workers, forcing police to resort to lathicharge to bring the situation under control.
Late at night, 10 BJP candidates from Mysuru and Chamarajnagar districts extended support to the candidature of Vijayendra. They even threatened to withdraw their nominations if Vijayendra was not fielded. Prakash Javadekar and Muralidhar Rao, who are in charge of Karnataka affairs, are rushing to Mysuru, according to sources in Mysuru.
The episode has two political narratives — one Yeddyurappa is said to have not consulted the central leadership of the party and took a unilateral decision that Vjayendra will contest from Varuna, where Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra has filed his nomination papers.
Vijayendra started campaigning extensively in Varuna. This prompted Yeddyurappa’s detractors, including party national joint secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh, Union Minister Ananth Kumar to take up the issue with the central leadership.
They are said to have impressed upon the central leadership that Yeddyurappa’s elder son B Y Raghavendra is already an MLA from Shikaripur and now Vijayendra is poised to enter mainstream electoral politics.
Yeddyurappa was expecting Vijayendra’s candidature to be announced in the third list. But when it did not happen, he became jittery.
When Yeddyurappa was sounded that the ticket will be given to Mysuru zilla panchayat member from Nanjangud, Sadananda, he lost his cool, sources said.