Karnataka - Belgaum   

Differences in BJP over allotment of ticket

Belgaum: Differences in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seem to be growing over the issue of allotment of ticket for the Assembly elections.

According to sources in the BJP here on Saturday, the possibility of Abhay Kumar Patil, who represented the erstwhile Bagewadi segment in the dissolved Assembly, refusing to contest the elections cannot be ruled out if he is not allowed to contest from Belgaum South constituency.

The sources said that Mr. Patil’s name was cleared for Belgaum South constituency by the party’s election committee on April 8. But the party did not announce his candidature reportedly at the behest of his rival Suresh C. Angadi, MP, who was insisting that Mr. Patil should contest from Belgaum Rural segment, the sources said.

The BJP announced its list of candidates for 136 constituencies on Thursday.

However, the party has kept the candidatures of some people pending after having taken decision on them, the sources said.

As regards to Belgaum district, consisting 18 Assembly constituencies spread over two parliamentary segments, the party has finalised candidates for only eight constituencies.

The party leadership was trying to shoot itself in the foot by not allowing Mr. Patil to contest from Belgaum South segment allegedly on the insistence of Mr. Angadi, sources in the party said.

They charged that Mr. Angadi was planning to end Mr. Patil’s political career and also help Marathi speaking communities as he depended on Marathi electorate who were in large numbers in Belgaum Rural, Belgaum North and Belgaum South segments under the Belgaum parliamentary constituency represented by him.

They charged that Mr. Angadi had misled the party leadership by stating that Mr. Patil would sail through easily in Belgaum Rural segment.

When contacted, Mr. Angadi maintained that Belgaum Rural was “favourable” for Mr. Patil as he had done a lot of development works in the villages which were earlier part of Bagewadi constituency but now distributed in Belgaum North, Belgaum South and Belgaum Rural segments.

“But, I don’t know why he is changing his constituency to Belgaum South. The party leadership will take a final decision on it,” he said.

However, supporters of Mr. Patil dismissed this argument and said that the heterogeneous character of Belgaum South segment, covering several urban areas with a large number Kannada-speaking people belonging to all castes, promises better chances for the leader who belongs to Jain community.

The BJP would lose if Mr. Patil, a Kannadiga, was fielded from Belgaum Rural segment, they said.

Any such “adverse” decision would also affect the party’s prospects in Belgaum North and Belgaum South constituencies, the supporters said.

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