The exit of Member of Legislative Council Baburao Chinchansur from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has created political rumblings in Yadgir district.
Mr. Chinchansur, who joined the BJP in 2018 to defeat Congress leader M. Mallikarjun Kharge in the last Parliamentary elections, has suddenly exited the party, although he had declared that he will remain in the BJP to defeat Congress MLA Priyank Kharge in the next Assembly election in Chittapur constituency.
Mr. Chinchansur was elected three times from Chittapur constituency in 1989, 1994 and 1999 on Congress ticket. He later moved to Gurmitkal constituency after Chittapur was reserved for Scheduled Castes and won two times from Gurmitkal in 2008 and 2013. But, in 2018, he faced defeat against Nagangouda Kandkur of the Janata Dal(S) by a margin of 24,480 votes.
He then joined the BJP in 2018. The party made him MLC as well as chairman of Nijasharana Ambigara Chowdaiah Development Corporation.
“It was an expected decision by him (Mr. Chinchansur). We have been informing party leaders about his activities. The party gave him all opportunities and facilities after he joined us. The party will now take action to strengthen the organisation in Gurmitkal,” district unit president of the BJP Sharanabhupal Reddy has said.
Mr. Chinchansur belongs to the Koli Kabbaliga community which is politically dominant in Gurmitkal and Chittapur constituencies.
Speculation was rife that he will join the Congress given the fact that it was keen on giving him an opportunity to contest the Assembly elections even as it is eyeing both the constituencies which have a substantial number of Koli Kabbaligas.
Whatever the speculation, no one from the Congress is now ready to confirm his re-entry to the party.
He served in the S.M. Krishna and Siddaramaiah government as Small Savings and Textiles Minister, respectively. He had accused the Congress of neglecting the Koli Kabbaliga community when he joined the BJP and now, political circles are curious to know what reason he will offer for quitting the BJP.
“He has betrayed the party and also the community. People from the community know what he is doing and they will give a suitable answer to his political games at an appropriate time,” Girish Mattennavar, another leader from the BJP, has said.
