The Hindu : BJP Assembly list sparks off discontent

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

Karnataka

Karnataka

BJP Assembly list sparks off discontent

By Our Special Correspondent

SHIMOGA, MARCH 22. The announcement of the Bharatiya Janata Party list for the Assembly elections has triggered discontent in the party with two leaders in Shimoga and Udupi districts openly making known their unhappiness over the choice of candidates.

The General Secretary of the Shimoga unit of the BJP, K.G. Kumaraswamy, said on Monday that he would not hesitate to enter the poll fray as a rebel from the Holehonnur (Reserved) constituency if his friends and colleagues in the party suggested that he should do so, while the BJP leader from Udupi, B. Sudhakar Shetty, declared that he would contest as an independent from the Udupi Assembly constituency. Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Kumaraswamy said he had been hurt by the "undemocratic" manner in which the State party leadership had prepared the list of the candidates.

He pointed out that he was among the four candidates recommended by the district unit to the State Election Committee for the party ticket. The others being B.S. Yediyurappa, K.S. Eshwarappa, and Araga Jnanendra. "Among them only I was not considered, he said."

Mr. Kumaraswamy claimed that the one announced was not the final list. "Hence I continue to be the official candidate and not Basavannappa," he said.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said when the district election committee members had expressed opposition to the names recommended by the former Chief Minister, S. Bangarappa, for the Shimoga constituency at a meeting in Bangalore last week, the State party leaders had promised that the list would be finalised only after holding one more round of talks with them. "But no such meeting was held before the list was announced," he said.

Alleging that his claim for the party ticket from the Holehonnur constituency had been overlooked in the past three elections, Mr. Kumaraswamy said Mr. Yediyurappa had assured him the ticket in the 1994 Assembly elections. But the promise was not kept. In the next Assembly election in 1999 also, his claim was ignored.

Mr. Kumaraswamy claimed that he had been nursing the constituency for over 10 years. He said he would convene a meeting of BJP workers soon to decide the future course of action. Mr. Kumaraswamy reiterated that he would not hesitate to contest as a "rebel."

To a question, he said he not thought of leaving the party now.

Our Udupi Staff Correspondent reports:

The BJP leader, B. Sudhakar Shetty, on Monday announced that he would contest as an independent from the Udupi Assembly constituency. He told presspersons here on Monday that he had been in the Jan Sangh and the BJP for the past 34 years. Mr. Shetty said he had been elected councillor twice and had also served as vice-president of the TMC for five years. He had contested the Assembly elections in 1999 as the BJP candidate. Mr. Shetty said he had lost to the Congress candidate, U.R. Sabhapathy, by a margin of 708 votes. The party leaders had assured him of the ticket, but on Sunday evening it was given to the district BJP President, K. Raghupati Bhat, Mr. Shetty said.

He said he would call a meeting of his supporters shortly to chalk out the future course of action. Mr. Shetty said he had got feelers from the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Janata Party to join their parties.

The former Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, had called him today and urged him to join the Janata Dal (S), Mr. Shetty said.

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