The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday included BY Vijayendra, son of former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa, as one of the nearly two dozen in-charges for the October 30 bypolls to two assembly seats, a day after the party faced backlash from his supporters for announcing the list without the young leader’s name in it, people aware of the developments said.
After the BJP first announced its in-charge list on Sunday evening, Vijayendra’s supporters lashed out at senior party leaders for “sidelining him”. The uproar forced Vijayendra, the vice-president of BJP’s Karnataka unit, make a public appeal against posts or statements against the party or its leaders. On Monday, Vijayendra’s name was included as one of the 13 in-charges for Hanagal constituency.
“Some of our karyakarthas (party workers) have expressed their anger and anguish about my non-inclusion in the list of in-charge for Sindgi & Hanagal by-elections. My appeal to them: please refrain from making comments that embarrasses our party, leaders, or me,” Vijayendra on Monday said in a post on Twitter.
He tagged BJP national president JP Nadda and party’s national general secretary in-charge Arun Singh in his tweet.
“As the @BJP4Karnataka Vice President, I will actively campaign for the party candidates in both constituencies. Let us focus all our energies on ensuring victory in both the seats and further strengthen the party,” he said in a second tweet.
{{/usCountry}}“As the @BJP4Karnataka Vice President, I will actively campaign for the party candidates in both constituencies. Let us focus all our energies on ensuring victory in both the seats and further strengthen the party,” he said in a second tweet.
{{/usCountry}}Vijayendra has had a turbulent relationship with several BJP leaders, who had repeatedly targeted him during his father’s term as the chief minister between 2018 and July this year.
On Sunday, the BJP entrusted the responsibility of the two assembly constituencies — Hanagal and Sindgi — to 24 leaders, including ministers and legislators, but left out Vijayendra’s name. Even Basanagouda Patil (Yatnal), the firebrand legislator from Bijapura city and staunch critic of Yediyurappa and his family, was included in the list for Sindgi bypoll.
Vijayendra had been in the thick of at least three assembly bypolls —Sira, KR Pete and Maski—in the past two years, helping the party candidates win two seats.
Vijayendra was credited with helping BJP’s KC Narayana Gowda win the KR Pete seat in Mandya district, about 99 km from Bengaluru, in December 2019. This was the BJP’s first ever victory in a region that is considered a stronghold of the Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S).
This was followed by a victory in Shira (Tumakuru district) in November last year.
The outcomes bolstered the confidence of his supporters, who started demanding bigger responsibilities for the former CM’s son by the party.
The BJP, however, suffered defeat in Maski bypoll in May this year, in which Pratap Gouda Patil lost even with Vijayendra at the helm of affairs in the constituency.
The developments added to the tense state of affairs within the BJP that is trying to find a middle ground to Yediyurappa’s proposed statewide tour to help the saffron outfit in the yet-to-be announced zilla parishad and panchayat polls as well as the 2023 assembly elections.
The decision to include Vijayendra as one of the party in-charges for the upcoming by-elections also put to rest speculations of his contesting the bypoll from Hanagal seat and get accommodated in the chief minister Basavaraj Bommai-led state cabinet, people aware of the matter said.