No end to Karnataka BJP feuds, another MLC on the verge of quitting

Ayanur Manjunath at loggerheads with former minister K S Eshwarappa who is pushing for his son’s candidature from Shivamogga

BJP MLC Ayanur Manjunath. (Twitter/@AyanurManjunath)

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In another blow to the BJP in Karnataka, MLC Ayanur Manjunath on Monday announced he would resign and contest the coming Assembly elections from Shivamogga constituency, which is currently represented by BJP MLA and former minister K S Eshwarappa. According to BJP insiders, Eshwarappa wanted to push his son’s candidature from Shivamogga.

Manjunath said he would soon submit his resignation to the Legislative Council Chairperson. If he goes through with it, he will become the third BJP MLC to resign after Puttanna and Baburao Chinchansur, who put in their papers last month. Both of them joined the Congress and Puttanna has been fielded from the Rajaji Nagar constituency in Bengaluru. The Congress is also likely to field Chinchansur from Gurmitkal in Gulbarga district. Another leader who joined the Congress recently was S R Srinivas (Gubbi Srinivas alias Vasu) who resigned as Janata Dal (Secular) MLA on March 27.

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At a news conference on Monday, Manjunath took a dig at Eshwarappa for proposing his son Kantesh’s name for the poll battle from Shivamogga. “For Eshwarappa, the party has given opportunities for 32 years … There are many seniors in the party (in Shivamogga) who have not got any chances. Rather than proposing their name, he (Eshwarappa) proposed his son’s name as the candidate,” he said.

Expressing his intention to contest from the constituency, Manjunath said he had brought it to the attention of party leaders and made a request. “There are no signs of me getting a BJP ticket. On the other hand, there is a list of sons (of BJP leaders) who will contest … I have decided to contest anyway.”

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Meanwhile, six-time MLA N Y Gopalkrishna who had resigned as BJP legislator from Kudligi last week joined the Congress. It is expected that he will be the Congress candidate from Kudligi.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar said former Janata Dal (Secular) MLA K Shivalinge Gowda, who also recently resigned, was expected to join the Congress on April 9. “We have asked him to apply for party membership,” he said.

“Several BJP and JD(S) leaders are knocking on our door. This is evidence to show that the voice of the people of the state is in favour of the Congress and that our march is on a right track, towards power,” Shivakumar said. “There is a big list of people wanting to join the Congress … the party has not assured tickets to anyone. We will screen every name, only if we are able to accommodate them we will consider.”

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Gopalakrishna is a six-time MLA and was earlier with the Congress. He got elected four times from the Molakalmuru Assembly segment in Chitradurga district, and once from Ballari, before joining the BJP and winning from Kudligi in Vijayanagara district. He quit the Congress in 2018 after the party denied him a ticket. Recalling the long association of his and his family with the Congress, Gopalakrishna said after joining that he would work for the party’s victory in Ballari, Chitradurga, and Vijayanagara districts.

— With PTI inputs