2 days ago
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Many senior city BJP MLAs and party leaders are reportedly upset over not being included in the 11-member party committee to oversee Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) polls.
Four-time MLA for Yelahanka and former chairman of Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) S.R. Vishwanath openly expressed his disappointment over not being included in the committee. “BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra seems to have no time for Bengaluru. I have time and again told him that the road to capture power in the State runs through Bengaluru. But he seems to have no hold in the city,” he said.
“I have been an MLA four times, and I have earlier been deputed by the party for elections even in Hyderabad. But I have been asked to only focus on my constituency, Yelahanka. Senior MLA Satish Reddy, Union Minister V. Somanna, who has a hold in two assembly constituencies, have also not been made members of the party committee. This is a local election where the party needs to be strengthened at the grassroots level. I hope the responsibility for the election results is also taken by this committee and not pushed on to us,” he told media persons on Tuesday.
The committee includes Leaders of Opposition in both Houses, R. Ashok and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, five MPs of Bengaluru and the neighbouring Chikkaballapur, to which the Yelahanka constituency comes under, former chief minister and former Bengaluru MP D.V. Sadananda Gowda and senior MLA S. Suresh Kumar among others.
Another senior BJP leader, who did not wish to be named, said that not one of the former mayors, floor leaders from the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was included, and this did not augur well for the party. “Barring one MP, none of the MPs have a strong organisational hold in the city. Keeping out senior MLAs and former mayors and floor leaders who will actually fight the elections on the ground only shows that a small, insecure clique wants to control the party apparatus and keep others out,” he said.
English (US) ·