Internal dissent within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka has intensified, posing a significant challenge for the party ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. Several prominent leaders, including incumbent MLAs, MLCs, and former MLAs, have resigned from the party or announced their decision to not contest. Most of the break ups are due to dissatisfaction over being denied tickets.
Former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who has represented the Hubballi-Dharwad Central constituency for six terms since 1994, is the most high-profile resignation this election season. Shettar, a prominent Lingayat leader of the party, resigned after talks with BJP party seniors failed. Shettar openly expressed his unhappiness after being asked to not contest the election and pave way for other leaders. The Congress has already extended its hands towards Shettar and a midnight meeting on April 16 will seal Shettar’s decision. Shettar, however, isn't the only senior leader to say goodbye to the BJP.
Laxman Savadi, a former deputy chief minister, resigned from his position as a member of the Legislative Council and also from the primary membership of the BJP. He joined the Congress party after being denied a ticket for the upcoming state Assembly polls. Savadi, who has been elected as an MLA three times from the Athani constituency in Belagavi district, had previously lost to Mahesh Kumathalli in the 2018 elections when the latter was a member of the Congress party. Kumathalli has been given a ticket by the BJP in the upcoming elections and Savadi will face him on a Congress ticket.
Nehru Olekar, a two-time MLA from Haveri, who was convicted on corruption charges by a special court in 2022, was denied a party ticket for the 2023 election. In protest against the party's decision, Olekar expressed his discontent and resigned from the BJP after the candidate list was announced. Subsequently, Gavisiddappa Dyamannavar was appointed as the replacement candidate for the constituency reserved for Scheduled Caste.
Three-time Mudigere MLA MP Kumaraswamy, who did not get a ticket resigned from BJP and joined JD(S). Kumaraswamy was an aspirant from the reserved constituency for the upcoming state elections, but the BJP party has decided to field Deepak Doddaiah instead.
BJP MLC R Shankar, popularly known as 'Pendulum' Shankar for his frequent party switches, too has resigned from the Karnataka Legislative Council after being denied a ticket. Shankar was one of the MLAs who helped the BJP form a government in 2019.
Hosadurga MLA Goolihatti D Shekhar, who was denied a ticket by the BJP, has also resigned from the party expressing his disappointment.
Karnataka Fisheries Minister S Angara, who had earlier announced his decision to quit politics after being denied a ticket to contest from the Sullia Assembly constituency, has retracted his statement. He has now stated that he will campaign for the BJP candidate Bhagirathi Murulya in the upcoming state assembly elections, indicating his continued support for the party despite being denied a ticket. Angara has been representing the Sullia constituency in Dakshina Kannada since 1994.
Senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa announced that he will not contest the upcoming election and retired from electoral politics. Eshwarappa has held several prominent positions in the state government, including deputy chief minister and minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
In addition to the prominent leaders, supporters of Munindra Kumar, who aspired to contest from the Byatarayanapura constituency, organized a significant protest in Sahakar Nagar, where approximately 1,350 party workers resigned from the BJP as a mark of their protest against the party's decision to award the ticket to Thammesh Gowda instead of Munindra. The supporters alleged that Gowda was an outsider and had not worked with the party workers in the area.
In another incident, supporters of Sukumar Shetty staged a protest in Byndoor, a town in the Udupi district, after Sukumar, a prominent BJP leader, was denied a ticket to contest from the Byndoor constituency.