BJP feud: Blame it on Santosh-BSY rift, not Shobha

Bengaluru: Contrary to the popular perception that Udupi-Chikmagaluru MP, Shobha Karadlaje, a close associate of the party state unit president, B.S. Yeddyurappa, was the reason for the internal dissent in the state BJP, it was the power struggle between Mr Yeddyurappa and the former state organising secretary, Santosh which led to the dissidence in the party.

Last week, party leaders including opposition leader in the Legislative Council K.S. Eshwarappa and MLA, C.T. Ravi along with a few others openly spoke against Mr  Yeddyurappa saying he did not consult anyone before appointing the office bearers and districts presidents. The anti-Yeddyurappa camp told the media that it was Ms Karandlaje who misled Mr Yeddyurappa to push candidates of their choice.

The real story was different. Of the 36 district presidents, appointments to four districts were questioned by leaders like Mr Eshwarappa. Mr Eshwarappa was upset with  Yeddyurappa for appointing Rudre Gowda as district president. Rudre Gowda defeated him in the 2013 assembly elections and Eshwarappa seems worried that Mr Gowda might get the party ticket from the constituency he represented.

Similarly, Mr Ravi was upset with Yeddyurappa for the appointment of D.N. Jeevaraj as Chikkamagalur district president. They targetted Mr Yeddyurappa and Ms  Karandlaje. Sources said had Mr Yeddyurappa not relied on her, he could have at best avoided embarassing moments, but not the crisis. Reason: The crisis was the handiwork of former state organising secretary Mr Santhosh, sources said.

Mr Santhosh a RSS man is on deputation to the BJP. After he became organising general secretary, he filled his men in every slot from state office to the block level.

Sources said Mr Santhosh who has been elevated to the national level now, might have felt that he, with the backing of the entire organisation, could become the CM if the party got a chance to come to power in 2018.

 After Manoharlal Khattar who was holding a similar position in Haryana, became CM there, Mr Santhosh thought he could pull off a similar coup here. But Mr Yeddyurappa after becoming state president, has shown the doors virtually to all those appointed by Mr Santhosh. The BSY camp claimed that those appointed by Mr Santhosh were not mass leaders who could do wonders for the ‘Mission-150’ in the 2018 assembly elections and ensured their exit from the posts.