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BJP bats for former MLA Yogeshwar as candidate for Channapatna bypoll

By, Bengaluru
Aug 31, 2024 09:20 AM IST

The Karnataka BJP leaders have asked Union minister HD Kumaraswamy to announce his stand on CP Yogeshwar

The Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have asked Union minister HD Kumaraswamy to announce his stand on the proposal to nominate former MLA CP Yogeshwar as the party’s candidate for the Channapatna assembly bypoll, people familiar with the matter said.

The proposal for Yogeshwar’s name for Channapatna bypoll was put forward at the residence of Union minister of consumer affairs Pralhad V Joshi in New Delhi on Thursday night. (ANI)
The proposal for Yogeshwar’s name for Channapatna bypoll was put forward at the residence of Union minister of consumer affairs Pralhad V Joshi in New Delhi on Thursday night. (ANI)

The proposal was put forward at the residence of Union minister of consumer affairs Pralhad V Joshi in New Delhi on Thursday night.

Kumaraswamy, who is playing cards close to his chest regarding the candidate for Channapatna (election is yet to be announced), initially is said to have expressed his reservations over some of the political statements of Yogeshwar made in public.

According to the people, he told the party leaders in the meeting that Yogeshwar is free to come and meet the Janata Dal (Secular-JDS) members regarding his intentions to contest. This softening is reportedly attributed to Yogeshwar working for Bengaluru Rural MP CN Manjunath, who is Kumaraswamy’s brother-in-law. Kumaraswamy had won from Channapatna assembly constituency in the 2023 assembly polls and resigned after he won the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha seat in May this year.

A BJP delegation comprising Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka, deputy leader in the House Arvind Bellad besides Union minister V Somanna were present in the meeting.

A BJP leader, who was present in the meeting, said “Kumaraswamy is in a Catch22 situation.’’ “All the political parties in Channapatna are aware that Yogeshwar’s chances of winning from whichever party he contests or as an Independent are bright. At the same time Kumaraswamy’s dilemma seems to be over losing hold over the constituency and if he wants to return to state politics in 2028, Yogeshwar will have established his hold there,’’ the leader said.

Kumaraswamy is said to have expressed his disagreement over Yogeshwar’s statement that he would contest as an Independent, if no political party gives him a ticket. The JD(S) workers, who are strong in the constituency, have been demanding that the ticket should be given to the party as the BJP would be contesting the two other assembly constituencies of Shiggaon and Sandur, when the bypolls are announced.

There has been a long standing political dispute between Yogeshwar and Kumaraswamy. In the 2023 assembly polls, Yogeshwar as the BJP candidate lost to Kumaraswamy by 15,915 votes and in 2018 by 21,530 votes. In 2013 as Samajwadi Party candidate, Yogeshwar won against Kumaraswamy’s wife Anitha Kumaraswamy by a narrow margin of 6,464. He made his debut into the assembly as an Independent candidate in 1999 and represented Channapatna on a Congress ticket in 2004 and 2008 before crossing over to the BJP.

Channapatna assembly constituency in Ramanagara district now renamed as Bengaluru South is the home turf of both Kumaraswamy and his political rival deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar. Both vied to establish their hold as the leader of the Vokkaliga community and Kumaraswamy got an edge by winning from Mandya and his brother-in-law defeating Shivakumar’s brother DK Suresh in the Lok Sabha polls.

Even as the BJP has put the ball in Kumaraswamy’s court to announce his stand, Shivakumar on Friday once again reiterated that whoever gets the party ticket to contest from Channapatna, the vote will be for him.Speaking to reporters at his Sadashivanagar residence, he said: “I am the one who issues B form and I am the signatory for it. Hence, it is a vote for me no matter who contests.’’

On the alliance between BJP and JD(S) for the bypoll, he said: “It doesn’t matter who joins hands. We are serving the people and they will make the right decision.’’ To a query if he would welcome Yogeshwar into the party, Shivakumar said: “I don’t know why the media asks such questions. No one has come to me and there is nothing on the table.’’

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