BJP Faces Internal Dissension in Karnataka as MLAs Rebel Against Yediyurappa Dynasty
Struggles with Dissent Threaten BJP's Unity and Electoral Prospects in Karnataka
With two MLAs joining the rebel list just after two senior leaders spoke out against the "dynastic politics" of B.S. Yediyurappa and his sons, the BJP is struggling with dissidence inside its Karnataka branch.
Legislators S.T. Somashekar and Shivaram Hebbar, who disregarded the party's showcause letters for going against the whip in the Rajya Sabha elections, are probably going to back Congress candidates in their home districts.
Somashekar voted for the Congress in the Rajya Sabha elections last month, but Hebbar did not participate. On Thursday, they replied to the showcause letters that the BJP legislative party had given. On the same day, they also met D.K. Shivakumar, the head of the state Congress and deputy chief minister.
Legislator Hebbar of Yellapur volunteered to back the Congress candidate in Uttara Kannada, while Somashekar, who represents Yeshwantpur in the city, is said to have provided support to the Bangalore North candidate of the Congress.
Along with three Janata Dal Secular colleagues, they were among the 14 Congress MPs that defected to the BJP in 2019, upending the JDS-Congress alliance led by H.D. Kumaraswamy.
The open revolt, according to a BJP source who maintained that all parties will have "unhappy" leaders and ticket aspirants, might harm the party's efforts to replicate its success from 2019, when it won 25 of the 28 seats.
Every party has such disgruntled leaders. However, our leaders must exercise caution so as not to damage the party's reputation with such overt disobedience," the unnamed functionary said.
After a protracted period during which the senior leader was marginalized after his forced resignation as chief minister in 2021, the Yediyurappa clan has regained leadership of the party. But after the disastrous Assembly election of the previous year, he recovered to seize power by persuading the national leadership to choose his younger son and heir apparent Vijayendra Yediyurappa as the state president in November.
