Will city BJP netas scuttle Tejasvi Surya’s chances?

Bengaluru: All is not well with the BJP’s city unit as its senior leader, R. Ashok and his supporters are reportedly reluctant to back its candidate, Tejasvi Surya in Bengaluru South, unhappy at the sudden decision to field him in the constituency, which they see as their turf.      

While Mr. Ashok, and party leaders, V. Somanna and Satish Reddy are  unlikely to boycott Mr Surya’s campaign, they could do worse and  sabotage to it, claim party insiders.

Mr. Ashok was reportedly clueless about the candidature of Mr. Surya till the midnight of March 25 as Ms Tejaswini Ananthkumar, widow of the late Union minister, Ananthkumar, was widely expected to be fielded from the constituency and had already printed her pamphlets, buntings and banner. She had also opened her election office in  Basavanagudi, and visited Nirmalananda swami of the Adichunchanagiri Mutt and Suttur Mutt swami, Shivaratrideshikendra swami to seek their blessings, accompanied by Mr. Ashok and Mr Somanna.

“Pontiff of both mutts  are now upset with the change in candidate. The  voters and party workers too are asking us what wrong Ms Tejaswini Ananthkumar do?  It was due to the tireless efforts of Mr. Ananthkumar and Mr Yeddyurappa, that the Karnataka BJP has reached where it has today, but the party ditched her at the last moment,” regretted supporters of the upset BJP leaders.

They claimed BJP national joint secretary, B.L. Santhosh, was responsible for the decision to field Mr Surya from Bengaluru South and had planned it as far back as October 2018 when Mr. Ananthkumar was hospitalised.  Soon after his death he had proposed Mr. Surya’s candidature at the party’s organisational meeting in Delhi and got it approved, according to them.

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