Vijayendra elevation will not impact Cong vote share: Satish

Mysuru, NT Bureau: The elevation of B Y Vijayendra, son of former chief minister B S Yediyurappa as state BJP unit chief will not have any impact on the Congress vote share in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as the majority of Veerashaiva-Lingayats - the community the state BJP president belongs to, are already with the BJP, said PWD minister and senior Congress leader Satish Jarkhiholi.

Responding to a reporter's query at Chamarajanagar on Thursday, he said Congress voters in the Veerashaiva Lingayat community will always support the party.

These Congress votes will not shift to the BJP even if Vijayendra heads that party, he asserted. On speculation over the chief minister's post the minister replied that the issue was a closed chapter.

The incumbent chief minister Siddaramaiah is strong and capable and is is providing a stable government with a majority of 135 MLAs, he said.

State tribal and youth affairs minister Nagendra also said Vijayendra's elevation will not have any impact on the Congress, Several senior BJP leaders have openly expressed their displeasure over the appointment of Vijayendra as state BJP unit chief, he recalled.

The minister also promised to improve the Dr B R Ambedkar District Stadium which remains incomplete even after 23 years of commissioning of improvement works in Chamarajanagar.