SHIVAMOGGA: As senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa has decided to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as an Independent from Shivamogga, party workers are in a dilemma — whether to support him or the party’s official candidate BY Raghavendra.
Several BJP workers from Shivamogga have tried to air their grievances before party seniors, including MLA SN Channabasappa, and former MLCs R K Siddaramanna, MB Bhanu Prakash.
The workers said that it took nearly a week to sort out whom to support and yet many of them are in a dilemma.
The last week has been a headache for BJP workers to choose sides, on whom to support and seek votes from the public. Even former corporators in Shivamogga are in a state of confusion about whom to support.
According to BJP sources, several ward-wise meetings were conducted by BJP senior leaders to clear the dilemma of the workers during which they were asked to work for the party’s victory.
A BJP party worker requesting anonymity told The New Indian Express that it was Eshwarappa who taught the workers to put the party first, abide by the ethics of the party, and treat the party as a mother.
“Most of the party workers have decided to stand with the party collectively. We took nearly one week to decide on whom to support. It was very difficult to make a decision and we (party workers) had a dilemma. Some of them are still confused,” a party worker said, adding that it was a tough choice that caused a rift among party workers.
TN Prakash, a BJP worker, who is now a supporter of Eshwarappa, said that the latter has taught many party workers to treat the party as their mother and not to do any “adjustment politics with any other political party”. “I am also an RSS worker and BJP worker for many years. We are supporting Eshwarappa because he is up to something good after being hurt. He doesn’t want to do any damage to the party or the image of PM Narendra Modi. Initially, it will become hard for workers to choose sides, but ultimately the victory of respective leaders matters the most,” he added.