On Sunday morning, 21 January, BJP State President BS Yeddyurappa said that “he has no objections to BJP leaders defecting to other parties”.
The former Chief Minister’s statement comes after immense speculation that one of his trusted aides, former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka R Ashoka, is unhappy with Yeddyurappa’s decision to court a Congress minister, with hopes that he would join the party.
Speaking to TNM, a BJP insider says, “It is an open secret that the party is in serious talks with current Housing Minister M Krishnappa and his son Priya Krishna. M Krishnappa’s constituency – Vijayanagara in Bengaluru – is what the BJP wants as it is obvious that he will win. The same goes with the Govindaraju Nagar MLA Priya Krishna. Besides, both of them want to join because they have differences with DK Shivakumar,” the source added.
According to the BJP source, Krishnappa and his son have not confirmed their joining the BJP, but have hinted that the defection could be a possibility after the 2018-19 budget is announced.
“Anyone who is defecting this late will do it after the Budget so that they can have fodder for campaigning,” the source said.
According to BJP insiders, M Krishnappa is a strong Vokkaliga face in the Mandya and Ramanagara regions.
The source says that one of the main reasons the BJP is hopeful that M Krishnappa and his son would defect is because their differences with DK Shivakumar have only grown.
R Ashoka, a prominent Vokkaliga face, has a strong voter base in Bengaluru’s Padmanabhanagar constituency. BJP insiders say that Ashoka has now switched sides and is currently a supporter of Union Minister of State for Skill Development Anantkumar Hegde, because he is displeased with Yeddyurappa’s decision to bring M Krishnappa and Priya Krishna into the BJP’s fold.
The source says that R Ashoka has now joined the faction of the BJP that is rooting for Anantkumar Hegde to become the next CM of Karnataka if the BJP wins.
(This piece was originally published in The News Minute and has been republished with permission)
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