The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Ananth Kumar faction in New Delhi as trouble brews in State BJP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 06, 2006
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Ananth Kumar faction in New Delhi as trouble brews in State BJP

K.V. Subramanya and S. Rajendran

K.V. Subramanya

and S. Rajendran

BANGALORE: Dissidence in the State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has reportedly arisen with several of the State unit leaders loyal to the party general secretary and former Union Minister H.N. Ananth Kumar making a beeline to New Delhi to impress on the party high command that the next president of the State unit should be a person of their choice.

The trouble in the State BJP has thus resurfaced within a day after the party leaders returned to Bangalore after a hectic round of campaigning in the byelection to the Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency.

The crux of the charge now is that the party high command should refrain from re-appointing the incumbent president of the State unit and Mangalore MP D.V. Sadananda Gowda for another permanent term. The election for the head of the State unit is scheduled on December 10 and Mr. Sadananda Gowda is expected to be the obvious choice.

Hectic activity was witnessed in the State unit of the party on Monday as the leaders from the Ananth Kumar faction attempted to mobilise the legislators and take them to New Delhi to impress upon the party's central leaders to remove Mr. Sadananda Gowda as the State unit president.

Sources in the BJP told The Hindu that 10 legislators and MPs called on party general secretary Sanjay Joshi and general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Tavarchand Gehlot.

Even as word spread on the dissidents' campaign, the camp followers of Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa got into action and impressed on the legislators to stay clear of it as it would not augur well for the coalition Government. It is common knowledge that Mr. Yediyurappa and Mr. Sadananda Gowda enjoy a good relationship.

Following the sudden developments in the party, the sources said, some senior BJP leaders cancelled their visit to Mysore on Monday. Those lobbying for Mr. Sadananda Gowda's ouster made efforts to take at least 25 MLAs and 10 district unit presidents with them to New Delhi. But only four MLAs, four MLCs and three district unit presidents accompanied them, the sources said.

Nearly 50 people, including seven MPs, several legislators and party office-bearers from the State, were part of the delegation.

According to the sources, MLAs Visveshwara Hegde Kageri (an aspirant for the State unit president's post), Chandrashekar Patil Revoor (Gulbarga), Abhay Patil (Bagewadi) and Veeranna Charanthimath (Bagalkot) and MLCs Arvind Limbavali, "Mukyamantri" Chandru, Vimala Gowda and G. Janaradhana Reddy (who has been suspended from the party) were part of the delegation.

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