The Hindu : BJP workers upset in Shimoga

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 23, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Shimoga

BJP workers upset in Shimoga

By Pramod Mellegatti

SHIMOGA, MARCH 22. Many "loyal'' Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers are said to be upset over the party fielding candidates suggested by the former Chief Minister, S. Bangarappa, in half the eight Assembly constituencies in the district. Mr. Bangarappa, who quit the Congress and joined the BJP recently, is the party candidate in the Shimoga Lok Sabha Constituency.

Prior to the selection of candidates, the Union Minister for Commerce and Law, Arun Jaitley, who is in charge of party affairs in the State, said the only solution to avoid injustice to newcomers to the party and lessen disappointment among the old-timers was to consider the loyalty and winning ability of the aspiring candidates.

Among the candidates recommended by Mr. Bangarappa is his son, Madhu Bangarappa. The other two are also from his backward Idiga community. As expected, B.S. Yediyurappa, MLC and Chairman of the party's campaign committee, K.S. Eshwarappa, general secretary of the party's State unit, and Araga Jnanendra, member of the dissolved Assembly, have been fielded again in Shikaripur, Shimoga and Tirthahalli constituencies, respectively. Mr. Yediyurappa and Mr. Eshwarappa were defeated in the 1999 elections.

Though the State-level leaders from the district appear to be happy with the selection of candidates, the workers do not conceal their unhappiness over the role given to Mr. Bangarappa in the process. It is, however, said that G. Basavannappa has been fielded from the Holehonnur (SC) constituency not on the recommendation of Mr. Bangarappa.

Mr. Basavanappa was a leader of the All-India Progressive Janata Dal. He was defeated in the 1999 elections in the constituency where he contested as the Janata Dal (United) candidate with the support of the BJP. He has evoked the most opposition from the BJP workers this time.

A major surprise is the denial of the ticket to S. Kumar Bangarappa, who joined the BJP with his father after resigning as the Minister of State for Town Municipal Councils and Panchayats.

Mr. Kumar Bangarappa, who represented the Sorab constituency in the Assembly twice, is being replaced by his younger brother, Madhu Bangarappa, a novice to politics.

As expected, the party has fielded Beluru Gopalakrishna, who is from the Idiga community, in the Sagar constituency where the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Kagodu Thimmappa, is seeking re-election for the fourth time.

Mr. Gopalakrishna, a confidant of Mr. Bangarappa, led an agitation against Mr. Thimmappa following the recent communal incidents at the time of the immersion of the Ganesha idol. H. Halappa, the BJP candidate in the Hosnagar Assembly Constituency, is a nephew of Mr. Bangarappa, while his supporter, Kudligere Manjunath, a Bangalore-based businessman, is being fielded in the Bhadravati constituency.

Meanwhile, the Congress candidate in the Shimoga Lok Sabha Constituency, Ayanur Manjunath, who resigned from the BJP about six months ago and joined the Janata Party before joining the Congress, said the BJP district unit had been "surrendered'' by selfish leaders to Mr. Bangarappa, victimising the interests of loyal workers.

When told that Mr. Jaitley had suggested that sometimes, senior workers should make sacrifices in the interest of the party, Mr. Manjunath said he agreed with him, and suggested that senior leaders such as Mr. Yediyurappa and Mr. Eshwarappa should not contest and sincere workers should be fielded in their constituencies.

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