Bengaluru: The state BJP received a shot in the arm with the appointment of former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa as its chief in April, but far from taking on the government in the months since, the party has not been able to go beyond its internal troubles.
While his loyalists in the party celebrated Mr Yeddurappa's return from near oblivion to take over as its chief in preparation for the 2018 elections, the momentum this was expected to give the Bharatiya Janata Party has not been evident in the months afterwards.
Instead bickering within the ranks appears to be gaining prominence and the Lingayat strongman seems helpless to stem it. In fact over the last two months, he has been losing popularity among the cadres, claim some partymen.
“Because of our internal bickering, we have not able to counter the Siddaramaiah government, although its public image has been sagging with every passing day,” admitted a senior leader.
And now the division in the party seems to be only growing with veteran leader, K Eshwarappa now heading the Sangolli Rayanna Brigade (SRB) that Yeddurappa loyalists see as a challenge to his leadership, although its office bearers would have you believe otherwise.
President of the BJP’s OBC Morcha B.J. Puttaswamy has openly criticised Mr Eshwarappa for creating SRB and now Mr Yeddyurappa and his diehard supporters are reportedly planning to hold a parallel OBC rally to checkmate the SRB’s mega rally on September 26 at Haveri.
Detractors of the state BJP chief say his recent unilateral decisions have hurt loyal workers of the party and those who supported him as the Chief Ministerial candidate, are not so sure anymore.
“BJP workers from Ballari, Mysuru, Yadgir, Raichuru, Kalaburagi and Bidar came to Bengaluru recently to meet party core committee leaders asking them to convince Mr Yeddyurappa to change the district office bearers’ list, but he did not,” they regretted, adding that the Ballari district leaders were upset at the prominence being given to Ballari MP, Sriramalu, a close aide of tainted mining baron turned politician, Janaradhan Reddy.
