Bengaluru: Disturbed by the growing discontent in the Karnataka BJP and the 'BJP Bachao' meeting planned by the rebels in Bengaluru on April 27, party national president, Amit Shah plans to visit the city either in the last week of May or early June to sort out matters, according to party sources.
Mr Shah reportedly hopes to hold a dialogue with the warring factions before the situation gets out of control. On hearing about the BJP Bachao meet, he recently held an impromptu meeting with some leaders to discuss it, sources revealed. "Mr Shah is likely to take some drastic steps in the Karnataka unit in the party's interests and everyone will have to fall in line," they added, explaining that the BJP president was currently busy with the coming Assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh and would come to Bengaluru after he completes this work.
Besides sorting out the problems in the state unit, he is expected to select candidates for the 2018 Assembly polls without entrusting the entire responsibility to state party chief, B S Yeddyurappa.
Seeing Karnataka as an important state and eyeing a BJP win here, Mr Shah is reportedly ready to spend several days in the city to make sure the ticket distribution process is free of hiccups. "All contentious issues between the factions will also be sorted during his visit to Karnataka," sources said.
Rebel leader meets Joshi to discuss crisis
Former state BJP president and Dharwad Lok Sabha member Prahlad Joshi had a dinner meeting with Mr Sogadu Shivanna, one of the organisers of Wednesday's meeting, in Tumakuru.
Mr Shivanna is learnt to have told Mr Joshi how loyal party leaders were suffering at the hands of Mr Yeddyurappa in the last one year and requested him to bring their plight to the notice of party national president Mr Amit Shah. It is not known how Mr Joshi responded to the plea .
