Senior BJP leader Jagadish Shettar being denied party ticket to contest the Assembly polls and the subsequent rebellion by him has left several BJP leaders and functionaries wondering if history was repeating itself after 24 years.
Mr. Shettar being denied ticket bears resemblance to the earlier episode of party veteran leader B.B. Shivappa rebelling against the party after being denied the opportunity of becoming Leader of the Opposition in 1999.
Many in the party back then believed that Mr. Shivappa, who had strived to build the party in its formative years, would be made Leader of the Opposition in Assembly in 1999 as other prominent leaders, including B.S. Yediyurappa and K.S. Eshwarappa, had lost the Assembly polls then.
But ignoring him, the BJP had chosen Jagadish Shettar, who was then a political greenhorn. This had angered Mr. Shivappa’s supporters, who had retaliated by pelting stones at the party office in the newly-inaugurated Bahurao Deshpande Bhavan in Bengaluru where the process of selection of Leader of the Opposition was held.
Following this, the BJP expelled Mr. Shivappa from the party on the charges of indiscipline. The livid leader had joined the Congress.
Mr. Shivappa had publicly asked why he was denied the opportunity of being the Leader of the Opposition though he had seniority and built the party brick by brick in several areas. Interestingly, Mr. Shettar is asking similar questions now. Mr. Shettar, who too joined the Congress, has alleged that the party did not treat a senior leader like him with respect.
Incidentally, both belong to the dominant Lingayat community. Mr. Shivappa had then publicly blamed Mr. Yediyurappa and Mr. Ananth Kumar for him missing out on the political opportunity.
Mr. Shivappa later returned to the BJP fold, but carried regret on missing out on being the Leader of the Opposition until his death in 2017.
Meanwhile, BJP insiders claim that the episode of Mr. Shettar quitting its fold will not have a wider impact on the party’s political fortunes. They feel that Mr. Shettar’s political influence is mostly confined to Hubballi even as the Congress is trying to build a political narrative that Mr. Shettar episode is an indication of Lingayats being insulted by the BJP.
Guarding workers
As an immediate measure, the BJP is trying to prevent its office-bearers and prominent party workers from being wooed by Mr. Shettar. Sources, say that the party is also keen to utilise Lingayat strongman Mr. Yediyurappa to counter the impact of both Mr. Shettar and former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi, who too has joined the Congress.
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