Why are BJP MLAs denied tickets sore with B.L. Santosh?

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: For the first time in the history of the BJP, the leaders denied tickets have started pinpointing those responsible for it including BJP National General Secretary B.L.Santosh. He worked as BJP’s General Secretary (Organisation) for eight years in the Karnataka State unit and was appointed National General Secretary in-Charge of Southern States in 2014 by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

His detractors say Santosh wields a lot of control in the Karnataka BJP and within the BJP high command. He gave pinpricks to former CM B.S.Yediyurappa when he became chief minister for the fourth time. At that time there was a discussion in Delhi of making Santosh the CM of Karnataka in place of Yediyurappa to which there was a lot of opposition.

Since then, Santosh and Yediyurappa were not on talking terms. Yediyurappa has now retired from electoral politics and became a member of the BJP Parliamentary Board. According to highly placed sources, Santosh has been accused of denying tickets to scores of sitting MLAs including former CM Jagadish Shettar.

Even former RDPR minister K.S.Eshwarappa who was an aspirant for the Shivamogga City MLA ticket was forced to announce his retirement from electoral politics. While Shettar openly slammed Santosh for denying him the ticket from the Hubballi-Dharwad Central constituency to favor his follower, Mahesh Tenginkai, the Shivamogga MLA Eshwarappa kept quiet without pointing fingers at anyone.

Even Krishnaraja MLA S.A. Ramdas was sure of getting the ticket in the coming Assembly polls due to his closeness with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but even he was not given a ticket. The MLA did not say anything against Santosh and preferred to stay back in the party. All those who have been denied tickets are squarely blaming Santosh who is close to Delhi leaders.

The sources maintained that the job of Santosh was to collect information from south Indian states and share it with the high command. He directly works under BJP National President, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and important functionaries in the RSS. If as many as 30 plus sitting MLAs have been denied the tickets, it is based on the report prepared by Santosh and his team.