Hubballi: Union minister Ramesh Jigajinagi and senior BJP leader Basavaraj Patil Yatnal’s public spat has become a matter of concern for the party high command, which fears it may harm the BJP’s prospects in the scheduled-caste reserved constituency of Vijayapur this parliamentary poll, according to sources.
Dissidence has been brewing in the Vijayapur district unit of the BJP even since Mr Yatnal was denied the ticket for the Legislative Council election from the local bodies’ constituency following his return to the party from the JD(S), reportedly under pressure from Mr Jigajinagi and his loyalists.
Mr Yatnal had publicly blamed Mr Jigajinagi for losing out on the council ticket and the rift between the two men has only widened ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. With their differences peaking, Mr Yatnal’s supporters are likely to support the JD(S) candidate in Vijaypur should Mr Jigajinagi be fielded from the constituency, according to sources.
A confident Mr Jigajinagi , however, said, “I have already started campaigning in Vijayapur as there are no other contenders for the BJP ticket in the constituency.” Taking a potshot at Mr Yatnal, he warned the people would not tolerate it if those in the BJP voted for the Congress or any other party.
Meanwhile, local Congress leaders, who are upset at their party handing over Vijaypur to the JD(S), are trying to persuade their party high command to retain the constituency, pointing out that it had lost by merely 70,000 votes in the 2014 parliamentary elections from the constiutency. They also contend that the JD(S), which had managed to get only 50,000 votes in the last Lok Sabha poll in Vijaypur, has no strong candidate to field this time either.
Political observers however, believe that a common candidate of the coalition partners, may stand a good chance of winning against Mr Jigajinagi if they manage to set aside their differences.
