In a major jolt to the BJP and its nominee from Afzalpur in the imminent Assembly polls Malikayya Guttedar, over a 100 party activists, including office-bearers of the party structure at various levels and elected representatives, have resolved to quit the BJP to join the Congress.
At a media conference in Kalaburagi on Wednesday, M.Y. Patil, a senior leader who recently quit the BJP to join the Congress after his arch-rival Mr. Guttedar left the Congress and joined the BJP, released a collective resignation letter which was signed by over 100 local leaders.
Those who have signed the resignation letter included BJP’s district unit secretary Prakash S. Jamadar, district farmers wing vice-president Tukaramgowda Patil, State unit member Shivananda Gadi, mandal vice-presidents Bhimaraya Gaura, Bhasha Patel Hasaragundi, Bhiranna Pujari and Mandal secretaries Sharanu Kumbar, Manjunath S., Ashok Sidagante, Nijaguna Chakravarthi, Yallanagowda Patil and Siddamma Guled.
Mr. M.Y. Patil, who is likely to be the Congress candidate in Afzalpur, claimed that 10 taluk panchayat members, five zilla panchayat members, a majority of Afzalpur Town Municipal Council members and a large section of party workers were supporting him. “Taluk panchayat and municipal council members would tender resignation to the BJP and join me in the Congress as their action doesn’t attract the anti-defection law. Zilla panchayat members, however, will not officially quit the party in view of the law. Most of the zilla panchayat members are women. They will technically continue to be in BJP, but their husbands will practically campaign for the Congress,” he said.
Mr. M.Y. Patil admitted that his decision to quit the BJP and join the Congress was primarily driven by his political rivalry with Mr. Guttedar. “For the last 30 years, I have been fighting against Mr. Guttedar and I cannot compromise with the situation at the end of my political career. Whenever he changed political parties, I too did the same to face him. Now, he left the Congress to join the BJP and I left the BJP to join the Congress,” he said.
On denial of BJP ticket to him, Mr. M.Y. Patil said that the party leadership preferred Mr. Guttedar over him as he had assured the party leadership that he would ensure a victory of the party candidates in at least 15 constituencies in the Hyderabad Karnataka region. “I was left with no option but to leave the party and join the Congress where I had previously worked for two decades,” he said.
