BENGALURU: It appears as if the BJP will face a bypoll-like situation in the upcoming 2020 Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections, as hurdles in choosing candidates may crop up. Choosing between existing BJP workers and the new set of supporters who came along with the turncoat MLAs is likely to cause problems for the saffron party.
Of the 15 assembly constituencies that went to polls in the state, four are in Bengaluru, where three disqualified MLAs won. A day after the Supreme Court gave its nod for the disqualifed MLAs to contest, 16 of them, including Munirathna who was Rajarajeshwarinagar MLA, joined the BJP. On the same day, around 15 BBMP councillors from the Congress and JDS, who were followers of these MLAs, joined the BJP.
According to BJP sources, the present BBMP council’s term will end in 2020, with elections due in April 2020. Now, followers of disqualified MLAs, who were local ward leaders, came along with them, and have already started demanding tickets to contest in the BBMP elections. “This is a very sensitive issue. The general rule is that most sitting councillors will be given tickets.
These followers are those who had lost elections against sitting BJP councillors. If we give tickets to them instead of the sitting BJP councillors, we will face the latter’s wrath. If we do not give the followers tickets, the new-elected MLAs will object. We are in a dilemma,’’ sources said.
This apart, some local leaders who had contested BBMP elections in 2015 and lost to the Congress or JDS, continued to keep in touch with their voters. “It’s unfair to give tickets to those who came along with disqualified MLAs. Our people have been working hard for so many years, despite losing elections,” sources said, adding, “We will see a similar situation as with what happened in the bypolls. We fear many old BJP leaders will revolt.”
BJP spokesperson and MLC Ravikumar said they will make a decision at a core meeting, which will include old and new BJP members and as MLAs. As of November 2019, 32.71 lakh people joined the BJP. Now, this number has shot up after supporters of newly-inducted MLAs joined the party.