Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (EP/HB)

Kundapur, Apr 10: BJP's decision to give the Kundapur ticket to Halady Srinivas Shetty has not gone down well with several party members in Kundapur. On Tuesday April 10, six BJP members including district BJP vice-preisdent B Kishore Kumar tendered their resignations due to dissatisfaction over the ticket distribution.

District BJP vice-president B Kishore Kumar, who was also the BJP candidate in 2013 Assembly elections, Sathish Shetty Merdi, BJP backward morcha chief secretary Vittal Poojary, BJP backward morcha treasurer Srinivas Kunder, district executive member Ravindra Dodmane and BJP backward morcha member Chandramohan Poojary met district BJP president Mattaru Rathnaker Hegde at his residence on April 10 and submitted their resignations.

There are two factions of BJP in Kundapur now. The faction led by Kishore Kumar and Rajesh Kaveri contend that former MLA Halady Srinivas Shetty should not have been given the ticket, and instead it should have been given to J P Hegde who joined the BJP last year.

The dissatisfaction in Kundapur BJP was simmering over past one-and-a half years. Separate meetings were held, but BJP did not try to set right the differences among the factions. The faction led by Kishore which has said that those who worked for the BJP do not get a fair deal had made its dissatisfaction public during the recent BJP Parivartana Yatra held in Kundapur. The internal quarrels became public in the presence of BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa, causing embarassment to the party.

Recent developments regarding candidature of Halady have widened the fissure among the factions. For the past three months, the Kishore-led faction, which believes Kundapur needs a PM Modi-like leader, had been opposing ticket to Halady. Former MP Jayaprakash Hegde who joined the BJP last year was also identified with the faction. Jayaprakash Hegde too had visited the constituency with the hope of getting the ticket.

Rajesh Kaveri is primarily identified in the faction opposing Halady. He was removed earlier from his post in the BJP backward morcha. Kishore Kumar and Rajesh Kaveri are young leaders who have served as Kundapur BJP presidents.

"We are upset that BJP has given ticket to Halady Srinivas Shetty, who is a rebel candidate. He resigned from BJP just months before the 2013 election and joined back BJP just before the 2018 polls. We are not ready to work for him. There are many BJP activists who have served BJP for decades, but have got nothing in return. At present only seven have activists have tendered their resignation and the same will happen at the taluk level. However, we will continue supporting BJP as we want Narendra Modi to win in the 2019 polls. We shall not participate in any campaign favouring Halady. We are ready to involve in BJP campaigns except in Kundapur constituency," said Rajesh Kaveri.

"I have been working for the party since the term of AG Kodgi. Halady became an MLA three times as a BJP candidate but left the party in middle. Now, he has come back. He joins and leaves, whenever he fancies," lashed out Satish Hegde.

Kishore Kumar retaliated saying, "I am unhappy with BJP’s decision of announcing ticket to Halady. The BJP workers have already expressed their disappointment over Halady joining back. We are not rebelling against BJP but won’t be campaigning for Halady”.

Won't accept resignations: District BJP president

"I am not going to approve the resignations. There are some confusions prevailing among BJP workers in the Kundapura Assembly Constituency. We need to clear them out with a meeting with the senior and junior party leaders. Some activists are opposing Halady, but don’t have personal grudge against the party. I am confident that they won’t leave the party. Even those who have tendered resignations are supporting BJP. I am sure that the issue will be sorted soon, as each party workers contribution is required to make BJP win," said Mattaru Ratnakar Hegde, president of Udupi district BJP. He further added that the party won’t be changing the candidate of Kundapur.

Regarding the Byndoor constituency candidate, he said that it was not yet decided if Jayaprakash Hegde would be given the ticket. However, Jayaprakash Hegde would be taken into confidence and in case he does not get the ticket, he would be give a chance in the next year's elections. Sukumar Shetty is also another willing contestant, he added.

In Kaup, there is a request that the candidate should be from the Mogaveer community. Two names have been raised by the party workers. By Wednesday evening, all the names will be finalized. We are ensuring that in the process, no party worker’s feelings are hurt, added Mattaru.