Dissidence is again raising its head in the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka with the national unit of the BJP selecting noted film actor Hema Malini as the party candidate for the byelection to the Rajya Sabha seat scheduled for March 3.
Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had conveyed to senior leaders of the party that he favoured the former Union Minister of State for Finance V. Dhananjaya Kumar, who is the Special Representative of Karnataka in New Delhi.
It is widely believed that the candidature of Ms. Hema Malini has been recommended by the party general secretary H.N. Ananth Kumar .
Sources in the BJP told The Hindu that the name of the film actor had been cleared as some Assembly elections are due this year and she would be one of the star campaigners of the party in two big States of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
The winning candidate will, however, only enjoy a break-term given the fact that it will end on April 2, 2012, although in the normal course a member of the Rajya Sabha enjoys a six-year term.
The byelection to the seat, which fell vacant following the death of the former Union Minister, M. Rajashekara Murthy.
