Bengaluru: If the Congress is seeing dissent in its ranks following the announcement of its candidates for the coming assembly poll, the Bharatiya Janata Party is faring no better with many in the party seeming upset by its selection of candidates, claiming survey reports and loyal party workers were ignored.
Even the Sangh Parivar is said to be angered by the party ignoring it's advice in the selection of candidates.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party had maintained that candidates would be selected based on survey reports, not one survey has been considered, rued a BJP leader. On the other hand, state BJP chief B.S. Yeddyurappa, is said to have got the lion’s share of tickets for his favourites, who are mainly his loyalists and former Karnataka Janata Party men.
The Lingayat strongman is said to have successfully scuttled the chances of his rivals in the party, to reward his supporters and also give tickets to many leaders with a dubious reputation despite stiff opposition from the RSS.
It’s believed the party leadership has bowed to the wishes of Union Minister, Ananthkumar and senior leader, R. Ashok where Bengaluru is concerned and in the process caused more unrest.
The party’s Bengaluru cadre openly criticised the state leadership for giving tickets to three Brahmin candidates in Bengaluru South and ignoring the OBC community.
In the coastal districts, the party has given tickets to six Bunts and ignored the Billava, Migaveera and minority communities.
"I am shocked by the selection of candidates in my district. I don't know what yardstick the party has adopted. What message are we sending by giving the lion’s share of tickets to one particular community? We will definitely lose a few seats in Mangaluru due to these anomalies," warned a BJP MLC from the coast.
