The return of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh to the BJP, the party he has left twice earlier, is now almost certain.
The return of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh to the BJP, the party he has left twice earlier, is now almost certain. Former party president and former UP chief minister Rajnath Singh told DNA that it is just a matter of time before he is re-admitted.
In a parallel, efforts have been stepped up to mollify former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa who is threatening to leave the BJP and form his own party. Basawaraj Patil, Raya Sabha MP from Karnataka, pointed out that state party president Easwarappa and four other state leaders have written to the central leaders that every effort should be made to retain Yeddyurappa in the party and that his demands should be conceded.
The cases of Kalyan Singh and Yeddyurappa are quite different. It is not clear whether Singh, an important OBC leader for the party in the 1980s and 1990s retains his former hold and whether he can strengthen the party’s OBC base in UP.
When he rejoined in 2004, he did not really benefit the BJP’s electoral prospects. When he formed his own party, he did hurt the BJP in a small way but he remained a small player in his own right.
Rajnath said it is not a question of whether Kalyan Singh will be of any benefit to the BJP but that he has been an old colleague and the party would like to welcome him back.
Yeddyurappa’s case is a livewire. It can make or unmake the fortunes of the BJP in Karnataka, the first southern state where the party has been able to form government. Aayanur Manjunatha, a Rajya Sabha MP from the state, said: “Yeddyurappa’s exit would hurt the BJP’s electoral prospects. At the same time, he would not be able to get back at the BJP with his proposed party.”
Party leaders also admitted that Yeddyurappa, as a mass leader, has an ego but the central leaders must give in for the greater good of the party. They feel Yeddyurappa should be made the president of the state unit and promised the chief ministership after the next election.
State party leaders feel there is an urgency to retain Yeddyurappa because of the return of Congress leader SM Krishna to state politics. If Yeddyurappa leaves the party, it would be without a leader without a face. Former chief minister Sadananda Gowda and incumbent Jagdish Shettar are not leaders in their own right. The BJP’s need for Yeedyurappa becomes all the more critical.
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