Renukacharya finally joins KJP; Bommai, Katti stay put in BJP
Bangalore, Mar 31 (DHNS): Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) chief B S Yeddyurappa must have heaved a sigh of relief on Saturday when former minister M P Renukacharya joined his party.
Renukacharya’s entry into the KJP comes at a time when a few other loyalists of Yeddyurappa, including V Somanna and Umesh Katti, have back-tracked and decided to stay with the BJP. He will contest from his home turf Honnali in Davangere district.
Renukacharya was recently expelled from the BJP and later dismissed from the State Cabinet by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar for making allegations of corruption against senior party leader D V Sadananda Gowda.
Hours after he confirmed his entry into the KJP, Yeddyurappa announced that Renukacharya will contest the Assembly polls from Honnali. He also announced the names of 32 others in the party’s second list of candidates. The first list of 69 candidates was announced last week.
Speaking to reporters, Renukacharya said he had always wanted to join the KJP and the BJP had deliberately expelled him to save itself the embarrassment of a minister quitting the ruling party to join another party.
There were reports that Shobha Karandlaje was opposed to the entry of Renukacharya into KJP, as he had once rebelled against Yeddyurappa. Also Renukacharya had demanded her ouster from the Cabinet. But today, she was very much present when Renukacharya walked into the party office. She offered no comments.
Second list
Prominent among those who figure in the KJP’s second list of candidates include retired IAS officer I R Perumal. He will contest from Shivajinagar. Former legislator H M Vishwanath, who quit the JD(S) to join the KJP, will contest from Belur.
Former ministers Basavaraj Patil Anwari will contest from Gangavathi, former ministers Vyjanath Patil from Sedam, Babu Rao Chauhan (Gulbarga - Rural), Shivananda Nayak (Bhatkal) and former legislators Ningappa and Gangadharanayak will be contesting from Tumkur Rural and Manvi, respectively. Chauhan, after realising that the Congress party was not in favour of fielding him from Gulbarga, decided to quit the party, it is said.
Former minister Basavaraj Patil Attur’s wife Mallamma will contest from Basavakalyan.
Of the 33 candidates announced on Saturday, four belong to the SC community, two STs, two women, one Muslim, one Jain, four Vokkaligas and two Balijas, Yeddyurappa said.
Jolt to BSY - Katti, Bommai to stay put in BJP
In a major blow to Karnataka Janatha Party (KJP) leader B S Yeddyurappa, two of his close loyalists— Umesh Katti and Basavaraj Bommai—have decided to continue in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
They also attended a district-level consultation meeting of the party on Saturday to shortlist candidates for the Assembly elections.
Katti and Bommai were said to be vacillating. However, the two leaders, apparently considering their long-term political interests, have decided to remain in the BJP and contest the elections.
Some senior leaders close to Yeddyurappa may also contest the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. They feel that the BJP is a better choice than the KJP, which is a regional party.
Bommai is considered to be a leader of BJP legislators in North Karnataka and is regarded as a political strategist.
His decision to stay put in the party will definitely influence others, including Murugesh Nirani, Raju Gowda and Pratap Gowda Patil.
In addition, BJP leaders who were eyeing for Congress tickets are also disappointed because the party is reluctant to field “outsiders”.
BJP Rajya Sabha member Prabhakar Kore, who runs a chain of educational institutions in Belgaum, is also continuing in the BJP despite an invitation from the Congress.
The BJP strategy of playing the waiting game by delaying the announcement of candidates seems to be paying dividends. Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani, another Yeddyurappa loyalist, is also said to be having second thoughts on quitting the BJP. Nirani has been threatening that he will join the KJP if he is not given ticket for the Jamkhandi Assembly seat. Now, Nirani represents the Bilagi Assembly constituency.
Yeddyurappa has been eagerly waiting for the entry of Murugesh Nirani, Raju Gowda and Pratap Gowda Patil into his party. Yeddyurappa had often said that he had floated the party trusting that all his supporters, including Bommai, Nirani and Katti, will stand by him.
However, replying to queries on whether the back-tracking of Umesh Katti had been a blow to him, Yeddyurappa said, “I never invited him to join the KJP. We will give preference to youth, women, minorities and dalits. The next list of candidates will be announced in a few days.”
Katti is known for his immense political clout in Belgaum district that sends 18 legislators to the Assembly. The BJP had won 11 seats from this electorally powerful district.
Nirani also has good following in Bagalkot district, while Bommai, with his shrewd political insights, would have been a good resource person for Yeddyurappa ahead of the polls.
The meeting to shortlist candidates would continue on Sunday. Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajnagar, Belgaum, Uttara Kannada and Haveri districts were covered on Saturday.
During the party’s recent core committee meeting, the BJP had failed to come to a consensus on finalising the list in several constituencies with multiple contenders.
It had also failed to finalise party tickets to sitting legislators who are facing corruption charges. The election committee of the party will be meeting in the next three to four days, sources said.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Higher Education Minister C T Ravi said the party would release its first list of candidates during the first week of April.
Ravi said a mammoth workers’ convention would be held in Bangalore on April 8. It would be attended by party national president Rajnath Singh, senior leaders L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.