Close on the heels of BJP State president B.S. Yeddyurappa losing the prestige battle of bypolls to two Assembly seats, party old guards, who have been critical of his functioning style, are trying to flex their muscles by organising a convention.
The convention in Bengaluru on April 27 is to “save the party organisation”, according to a senior party leader. About 1,000 party old-timers have been invited.
A prominent old-timer playing a key role in organising the event told The Hindu that their main demand was that Mr. Yeddyurappa “follow the traditions of the party” of making major decisions by taking everyone into confidence. Accusing Mr. Yeddyurappa of continuing to make unilateral decisions, he said senior party workers were being ignored even now, while those who had followed him to Karnataka Janata Party were getting prominence.
He reiterated the charges that the morale of party workers in several districts was low as persons loyal to Mr. Yeddyurappa than the party had been appointed presidents of some district units.
Pointing out that these old guards had earlier written a public letter to Mr. Yeddyurappa and also taken up the issue with national president Amit Shah, who had asked for effecting suitable changes to the party office-bearers’ list, he alleged that Mr. Yeddyurappa had made only minimal changes.
“All of us want Mr. Yeddyurappa to become the next Chief Minister of Karnataka. But, it would be difficult for the party to emerge victorious in the 2018 Assembly polls if he fails to change his functioning style,” maintained another prominent political detractor.
The critics blame the BJP’s bypoll defeat on Mr. Yeddyurappa’s alleged failure to take everybody together. The political detractors are expected to make a decision on their future course of action and the ways and means of representing their case before the party central leaders at the Bengaluru convention.
