In what appears to be a setback for B S Yeddyurappa, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime candidate for the post of Chief Minister in the upcoming Karnataka polls, his youngest son, BY Vijayendra, was denied a ticket by the BJP to contest from Varuna constituency in the Mysuru district.
The list of candidates for the elections, that was released by the BJP last week, did not mention either Vijayendra or sitting Udupi Chikmagalur MP Shobha Karandlaje, a strong ally of Yeddyurappa.
Speaking to The Times of India, Vijayendra said while he was “disappointed” about not receiving a ticket, he felt worse for his party workers and local gram panchayat leaders, who had reportedly shifted from the Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress to join the BJP only because of his “possible candidature”.
The BJP had reportedly found itself facing a rebellion from Vijayendra’s supporters, after the list of candidates was announced. Party workers stormed the dais and uprooted the chairs, all the while demanding that Vijayendra be named the candidate from Varuna.
The report states that Vijayendra’s supporters blamed Union ministers Ananth Kumar and Anantkumar Hegde for their leader not receiving the ticket.
I suspect it will take at least three to four days for me to calm tempers and emotions in Varuna. With our candidate a relatively new face, we will take a couple of days to kickstart afresh.BY Vijayendra to The Times of India
In response to a question about whether the denial of his ticket had anything to do with the party’s bid against “dynastic politics”, Vijayendra said neither him nor his brother had wished to enter the political scene, and it was the central leadership which had “personally sought” his candidature.
He added that the denial of a ticket to him won’t have any effect on his father’s candidacy for the chief ministerial post.
On the other hand, Yeddyurappa himself spoke to The Indian Express and said Vijayendra was determined to stick around in the Mysuru/Chamarajanagar area and campaign for the party, despite not having received a ticket.
He also said one of his main initiatives for the state, should he be elected as the chief minister, would be to tackle the problem of irrigation projects, which he believes is the greatest problem in the state.
Further, speaking about the party’s decision to bring the infamous Reddy brothers into mainstream politics, despite the controversies surrounding them – the illegal iron ore mining case – Yeddyurappa said it was cleared by party President Amit Shah.
“There is nothing negative…. It was cleared by our national president Amit Shah. Some of the Reddy brothers are contesting the polls but we have not given a ticket to Janardhan Reddy. If they work for the BJP, it will be beneficial for the party. This was the view, and it was accepted by the party leadership”, Yeddyurappa told The Indian Express.
(With inputs from The Times of India and The Indian Express)
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