Patel-Hegde embrace leaves State BJP in a quandary

Either the BJP will have to go alone or treat its poll–partner Lok Shakti differently in Parliament and Assembly elections. However, the second option appears difficult due to simultaneous polls.

Many senior state party leaders and also those incharge of party affairs in Southern states, are against any sort of tie up with the JD, at least in Karnataka. However, leaders at national level have chosen `wait and watch’ stance on the issue of merger. “We will have to wait for a formal merger before spelling out our stand on continuing tie-up with Lok Shakti. If Lok Shakti and Dal go to polls as partners, still there is a scope of working out an alliance to suit both at national and state level”, said a BJP minister at the Centre.

The popularity of the BJP, which is yet to taste power in this part of the country, has been steadily growing in Karnataka since 1989 when it emerged as an effective opposition party against the Congress and the Janata Dal. Also, the party’s popularity had also been due to its consistent critical approach to wards the functioning of the JD government in the State.

The merger news has left the party leadership shell-shocked, as they were confident of winning the elections with the help of its partner (Lok Shakti) purely on merit. While the people voted out the Congress party in 1994, the performance of the subsequent JD government has not been too good. With these two factors in mind, the BJP–Lok Shakti combine have been riding high on the assumption that people would elect them this time.

A large number of the BJP leaders in the state are unable to reconcile to a situation where they will have to go to voters as an ally of the ruling JD. “The merger of Lok Shakti, an ally of the BJP, with the JD just before the polls has shattered the rank and file of the BJP. Under these circumstances, we should go alone rather than joining hands with a discredited party”, said a senior leader.

When contacted, State BJP president B S Yediyurappa told this newspaper that it was unfortunate on the part of Lok Shakti to merge with the Dal and lose its identity which had been well established in Karnataka as a useful ally of the BJP.

“At this juncture, I can only appeal to Ramakrishna Hegde to maintain the party’s identity and fight the coming elections with our party”, he said.

Yediyarappa said that Hegde should rethink and avoid merging his party with the JD which was a discredited party in the state. “I am sure he would respond to the aspirations of the people of Karnataka who are fed up with the Janata Dal rule in the last five years”, he added.

He said that he had already informed the national leaders that such a tie up would be unholy, and declined that the merger move had the tacit support of the senior BJP leaders.

Many senior leaders feel that the BJP has gained strength after senior Congress leader Rajasekhara Murthy belonging to a dominant Lingayat community, joined the party. They admit that Murthy might not replace Hegde who has a strong clout over the north-Karnataka region (Lingayat dominated area) but certainly would attract a chunk of this community in the old Mysore and north-Karnataka region.

The coming days are crucial for the state BJP as any decision taken at the national level will be abinding on its state unit.