After being with the Janata Dal (Secular) for three years, Basangouda Patil Yatnal has quit the party as State general secretary.
He offered his resignation to party national president H.D. Deve Gowda here on Thursday, through fax.
Though he is yet to announce his next political move, it is obvious that he may rejoin the BJP which he quit before joining the Janata Dal(S).
Mr. Yatnal, who was a Minister in the NDA government, gave clear indications of him quitting the Janata Dal(S) and rejoining the BJP by openly endorsing the candidature of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for the post of Prime Minister.
However, those close to Mr. Yatnal say that he had joined the Janata Dal(S) as a mere political compulsion as he had no choice after being sacked from the BJP for criticising the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa.
After joining the Janata Dal(S), Mr. Yatnal was hoping to strengthen his political base but his dreams were shattered after he suffered a defeat in the Assembly election against Maqbool Bhagwan of the Congress in Bijapur.
Political analysts believe that Mr. Yatnal did not see any future in the Janata Dal(S) as the party is still struggling to find base in North Karnataka.
Meanwhile, sources say that it is just a matter of time before Mr. Yatnal embraces the BJP again.
A jolt for JD(S)
Bangalore Special Correspondent writes:
The Janata Dal (Secular) suffered a jolt with Mr. Yatnal quitting his post.
Mr. Yatnal was among those in the race for the post of the Janata Dal(S) State president.
According to sources, there were many who supported Mr. Yatnal saying he (Mr. Yatnal) may help the Janata Dal(S) consolidate its position in North Karnataka as he is from the Lingayat community, if he was offered the post.
However, Mr. Deve Gowda opted for A. Krishnappa with an eye on the Yadava community votes for the Lok Sabha elections. This disappointed Mr. Yatnal, the sources said.
However, a senior party leader said that Mr. Yatnal’s exit would certainly harm the party’s interest in North Karnataka.
This development further strengthens the opinion that the Janata Dal(S) is a “Vokkaliga party” and that it would be difficult for Lingayats to get justice there, he said.
