BENGALURU: Has the Bharatiya Janata Party’s central leadership given state unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa a free hand to select candidates for next year’s Lok Sabha elections? Yes, according to sources close to Mr Yeddyurappa. The sources said that the central leaders of the party had realised their mistakes in the selection of candidates for the recent assembly elections inthe state and were of the opinion that they should not repeat the same henceforth.
They had decided to give Mr Yeddyurappa a free hand in taking decisions on all important matters in the state unit of the party, the sources said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah favoured Mr Yeddyurappa’s request for a free hand. The Lingayat strongman had promised Mr Shah that he would ensure the victory of the party candidates in 20 Lok Sabha constituencies.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party won 19 seats in the state.
Two seats are vacant now following the resignation of Mr Yeddyurappa and B Sriramulu. The sources said that Mr Yeddyurappa may also be allowed to plan the party's campaign for the next year's Lok Sabha elections. Mr Shah reportedly called Mr Yeddyurappa a day before the party’s state executive meeting and asked him to identify potential leaders from other parties interested in joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, the sources said.
