Yeddyurappa all set to rejoin BJP

Mangalore Today/DHNS

Bangalore, Aug 12, 2013: He may merge Karnataka Janata Party with his parent party. It appears that the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) is all set to merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with the state unit of the saffron party ready to welcome back its former leader B S Yeddyurappa back to its fold.

As a prelude to this development, BJP leaders have decided not only openly campaign for the JD-S candidates in the by-elections to Lok Sabha, but also for the KJP candidate for the by-election to the Legislative Council from Mysore.

 

Despite almost zero resistance for taking back Yeddyurappa to the BJP fold at the state level, party senior leader L K Advani and MP H N Ananth Kumar are yet to express their views, it is said. The BJP is well aware that the Congress may not shy away from considering inviting Yeddyurappa to its fold keeping the 2014 elections in view.

It is said that the leaders from both the parties are in constant touch and that it is likely that a meeting will be soon convened between the two parties to thrash out a merger. It is speculated by senior BJP leaders that Yeddyurappa may come to the table with a set of pre-conditions to re-join the party, which may be accepted.

The State leadership of the BJP, at present, is waiting for their national leadership to give its formal approval with regard to holding talks with Yeddyurappa and allow the merger.
BJP leaders, who were arguing that they would not openly campaign for the BJP but only ask voters to defeat the Congress, on Monday decided to campaign for the JD-S nominees for the LS by-elections in Bangalore rural and Mandya.

A decision to this effect was taken at the party’s core committee meeting attended by State praty president Pralhad Joshi, Ananth Kumar, D V Sadananda Gowda, Jagadish Shettar and R Ashoka among others.

To defeat the Congress and also check its further growth, senior leaders in the BJP said that the decision was taken keeping in mind that a united front needs to be put up for negating the Congress sway in both the constituencies.

The JD-S is angling for the BJP help in Bangalore rural because in the May Assembly elections, the saffron party had secured about two lakh votes across eight Assembly constituencies in Bangalore rural. However, the BJP do not have much base in Mandya.
BJP party workers have already begun to print pamphlets in Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency deploring the Congress party. “Congress na solisi, Desha Ulisi...” states the pamphlets. These pamphlets will now be distributed by BJP workers in a door-to-door campaigning seeking votes for the JD-S. While the JD-S has not come out in the open with regard to the tie-up, BJP leaders are stating that no political party, which wants to win, will reject the party’s offer.

Sadananda Gowda, it is said, is going to be incharge from the BJP side, to campaign for U S Shekhar, the KJP candidate for the council by-election from Mysore. The BJP has no presence in the fray. When some leaders at the core committee meeting insisted that the JD-S- should openly align itself with the BJP, Joshi reportedly said that the aim should be to defeat the Congress. Keeping that in focus, the BJP should campaign for the KJP and JD-S.

The BJP is contesting the council polls in Dharwad and Chitradurga. JD-S and KJP leaders will be campaigning for BJP nominees. Former minister C M Udasi will lead a KJP team to campaign for the BJP candidate in Hubli.

In Mysore, validating the friendship between the three parties, Yeddyurappa was seen on the same stage with JD-S state president, H D Kumarswamy at a public function organised by a JD-S MLA. The two leaders were found exchanging friendly conversations, and also saw Yeddyurappa unveiling the portrait of JD-S leader H D Devegowda and his wife Chennamma.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines, Yeddyurappa said: “In politics nobody is a sworn enemy for ever. I came here to appreciate the wonderful convention hall built in Mysore and bring greetings to Kumarswamy.”