BENGALURU: A day after BJP announced its first list of 189 candidates, the party is facing rebellion from the aspirants who have been denied tickets.
Many of them have openly expressed their displeasure even as their followers took to the streets. Some flew to Delhi to meet the party’s top leaders.
In many constituencies, BJP workers protested against the party leadership for denying tickets to their leaders. They raised slogans against the party and set ablaze tyres on roads. Some even shed tears for the treatment meted out to their leaders.
Meanwhile, CM Basavaraj Bommai and former CM BS Yediyurappa expressed confidence that the rebellion will not have any impact on the party’s prospects in the Assembly elections. “The selection of candidates has been welcomed in almost all constituencies and talks with dissatisfied leaders are on,” Bommai said.
Former deputy CM and MLC Laxman Savadi said he will quit the BJP. He is expected to make an announcement in this regard on Thursday. Former minister R Shankar resigned from the party and also as MLC on Wednesday after he was denied a ticket. He quit the JDS-Congress coalition government in 2019 and joined BJP. He was made MLC by BJP.
In Belagavi district, former MLA Vishwanath Patil, who was expecting the party ticket for the Bailhongal seat, has openly expressed his displeasure. After the list was announced, he said the party had cheated him. Patil won the seat on the KJP ticket in 2013. He is a follower of Yediyurappa. Many of his followers have also threatened to quit the party.
In Tumkur, BJP leader and former minister Sogadu Shivanna said he would resign from the party and contest as an independent candidate. According to party sources, tickets were given to newcomers and not to loyalists in the Mandya district.
Katte Sathya to fight as independent
In Bengaluru, former mayor and BJP leader Katte Sathya, who failed to get the party ticket to contest from Basavanagudi, said that he will contest as an independent. Former BBMP councillor NR Ramesh’s followers protested after he was denied a ticket to contest from Chickpet.
After Housing Minister V Somanna was cleared for Varuna and Chamarajanagar constituencies, his followers protested in front of his house in Bengaluru demanding that the party field him again from Govindarajanagar. Udupi MLA Raghupathy Bhat and former MLA Appasaheb Pattanashetti, who too did not get tickets, expressed their displeasure.
Many leaders, who got tickets, visited Yediyurappa’s residence to seek his blessings. A few leaders, including Bommai and Ashoka, visited temples. Some of them collected the B Form from the party office.
'BJP sinking'
Criticising the saffron party, the Congress said, “The exodus from BJP is in full swing! Even deputy CMs have been denied tickets. This shows the shabby treatment meted out to senior leaders by the BJP leadership. No wonder, the 40PercentSarkar is sinking beyond repair,” AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.
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