Bengaluru: If anyone thought that the ruling BJP would walk away with the majority of the 15 Assembly seats going to polls on December 5 and shore up its numbers in the state assembly, they could be sorely mistaken with party workers fuming and revolts flaring up in many constituencies particularly Hosakote, Mahalakshmi Layout, Athani and KR Puram.
This could queer the pitch for the disqualified MLAs fighting the polls as BJP candidates and pose a major headache for Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa who is hoping for a clear majority in the assembly after the bypolls.
The BJP decided to make the disqualified legislators candidates in as many as 13 of the 15 seats going to polls as a thanksgiving gesture for bringing down the previous coalition government. But this has raised the hackles of party leaders and workers who have been fighting these leaders who earlier belonged to the Congress and JD(S), for long. Sources said the possibility of internal sabotage cannot be ruled out in many of the constituencies where original BJP leaders have been handed out a raw deal.
Take Athani for example. Deputy Chief Minister, Laxman Savadi, who lost the May 2018 election to disqualified MLA Mahesh Kumatalli, made known his disappointment over the Athani ticket going to Kumatalli and not him by skipping the ceremony to induct the disqualified MLAs into the BJP on Thursday.
Though he has declared that he will work for the success of the official BJP candidates, it remains to be seen if party workers in Athani will go all out to back Kumatalli in his new avatar as a BJP candidate.
Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Friday, Laxman Savadi who is yet to get elected to the assembly or Legislative Council, said his supporters had organised a padayatra in protest in Athani, but he had asked them to call it off.
"As a loyal worker of the party, I will abide by the party decision and campaign for our candidates in Athani and Kagwad," he added. Maintaining that the party high command would take care of his future, he recalled that it had made him Deputy Chief Minister although he was defeated in the 2018 elections. No different is the scene in Mahalakshmi Layout where R. Harish, who was hoping for the BJP ticket , was critical of the party leadership for handing it out to disqualified legislator Gopalaiah who was earlier in the JD(S). He said he would take a call soon on his future course of action after a discussion with his supporters.
The big story however is from Hosakote where BJP rebel, Sharath Bachegowda, son of Chikkaballapura BJP MP, B.N. Bachegowda, has already filed his nomination as an independent and has begun campaigning in the constituency. His massive show of strength while filing his nomination has reportedly disturbed the party leadership which has given the ticket to disqualified MLA, M.T.B.
Nagaraj who had defeated Sharath last time as the Congress candidate. Another disqualified MLA, Bhairathi Basavaraj is facing hostility from BJP workers in KR Puram with the party's defeated candidate in the 2018 Assembly elections, Nandeesh Reddy deciding to keep away from the campaign. Despite being elected chairman of the KSRTC, Mr. Reddy has asked his supporters not to support Mr Basavaraj, according to sources.
