With bypolls around the corner, unity is still a huge challenge for the three major parties.
In the BJP, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa is said to be at loggerheads with state BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel and his mentor BL Santosh.
The JDS, too, is trying to control infighting within its ranks after GT Devegowda decided to flay his own party and heap praise on PM Narendra Modi. In the Congress, it is Siddaramaiah and KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao against the rest.
After being sworn in as minister, Yediyurappa-baiter KS Eshwarappa has flayed the CM for his alleged obsession with self-promotion.
The man who touched BSY’s feet at the swearing-in ceremony, lashed out at him, alleging that he does not focus on the party, but on himself. In a statement which appeared prepared, he said that he needs to put the party first, else he will go the way of former CM Siddaramaiah.
Eshwarappa said, “Siddaramaiah adopted a dictatorial attitude and did not encourage the next line of leadership and therefore, the Congress lost in 2018 and the parliamentary polls.”
“What did Yediyurappa get when he went out and formed his own party? 3+1 seats?” he asked mockingly. This outburst gains significance, considering BJP leader Bhimashankar Patil, a known BSY loyalist, hit out at others who were trying to sideline the CM in the party.
In the Congress, it’s Siddaramaiah versus the others, led by leaders like former railway minister KH Muniyappa and Rajya Sabha MP BK Hariprasad.
Speaking to The New Sunday Express Hariprasad said, “The state leadership is bent on building its own groups. This is a do-or-die battle for the Congress. Defeat teaches lessons. Even after a defeat in the Assembly and Parliamentary polls, the leadership insists on forming its own groups.’’
“In 2013, Siddaramaiah won because of a three-way split in the BJP, where BS Yediyurappa and Sriramulu went their own ways, leading to the Congress winning by a large margin. One cannot fully credit Siddaramaiah with the victory,” said a Congress leader.
JDS has had issues with Chamundeshwari strongman GT Devegowda making statements that have embarrassed the party. Devegowda has issues with leaders like Sa Ra Mahesh, who is a Kumaraswamy loyalist, and other ‘unresolved’ issues.