BBMP power struggle: Ananth-Ashok grip loosened BJP hold

Bengaluru: With the Congress-JD(S) alliance set to grab the mayoral posts in BBMP and even continue the pact in the Legislative Council, BJP leaders are a worried lot and fear their prospects in the coming Zilla Panchayat polls is also in jeopardy.

After securing a clear majority in BBMP winning 100 seats, the prospect of losing power is something which has disturbed both the state leadership and Sangh parivar leaders. The state BJP has no direct control over Bengaluru BJP affairs. Both Union minister Ananth Kumar and former deputy CM R. Ashok have a strong grip on the city unit and have not been allowing state leaders to interfere in city affairs all these years. Due to lack of co-ordination among the state and city unit, the party has messed up in the BBMP mayoral elections and could fail to come to power in the BBMP.

Sources said this has happened due to the ‘dictatorial’ attitude of some city leaders. The BBMP failure is a lesson to the state unit that henceforth, it should monitor city affairs, a senior leader told this newspaper.

Interestingly, the JD(S) had entered into tacit understandings with BJP to fight the Congress in the past but this did not help it strengthen its organisation and on the other hand, benefited the BJP.

Considering past experience, the JD(S) made the strategic move of going with Congress, said a senior BJP functionary, adding that the next target of the Congress-JD(S) alliance will be Council Chairman D.H. Shankarmurthy who could be unseated.

The BJP is also worried about the growing presence of JD(S) in North Karnataka after a massive rally organised by former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy during the monsoon session. To check the JD(S) presence, the BJP organised ‘Raitha Chitannya Yatra’ by projecting former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa as its undisputed leader.