The battle within the faction ridden state BJP just got worse with former chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa asserting that he will no longer share the dais with his Shimoga counterpart and deputy chief minister (DCM) K.S. Eshwarappa. Mr Yeddyurappa who is on a visit to Shimoga to attend several progmames, said: “There is no question of my relationship with Eshwarappa improving now. I will choose my own path and he can choose his. I do not want to be associated with him anymore and will keep a distance from him.”

The DCM who is also the BJP state president, had hit out at BSY a few days ago, saying he would not be able to destroy the BJP state unit. To add to Yeddyurappa’s embarassment, Eshwarappa made sure that the inauguration of the renovated Mahatma Gandhi Park in Shimoga by BSY, scheduled for Tuesday on Gandhi Jayanti Day, was cancelled just because he did not want the former CM to take credit for the project.

When Mr Yeddyurappa was chief minister, he had taken personal interest in the project and had sanctioned Rs 10 crore for the renovation of the park which was in a shabby condition. “Mr Eshwarappa took pains to get the inauguration postponed after seeing my name in the invitation. I did not expect him to change so much after getting a powerful position in government. I will neither share the dais with him nor participate in the programmes he organises in Shimoga”, said the visibly disturbed former CM. Continuing his diatribe against the party chief, Mr Yeddyurappa said: “People of Shimoga are wise enough to see through Eshwarappa’s designs. I contributed a lot to the modernisation of Shimoga city but he did nothing to encourage it.”

Impact temporary if BSY leaves: BJP
Former chief minister, B.S. Yeddyurappa who has one foot out of the BJP, has virtually forced the party to assess the extent of damage he could cause to its poll prospects if he quits and forms a political outfit of his own.

As per the internal assessment, the party is likely to receive a major setback in 10 districts in the state if Mr Yeddyurappa joins hands with the BSR Congress of Independent MLA B. Sreeramulu. The party feels the negative impact could be temporary as Mr Yeddyurappa may not be able to maintain the tempo for long.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a highly placed source said, "We have to get ready to build our party from scratch. We expect that he may impact us like former CM late S. Bangarappa did when he quit the Congress in the mid-nineties. His supporters may manage to win 25 to 30 seats with the support of BSR Congress."

The source felt Yeddyurappa will fail miserably in coastal Karnataka which has 26 seats, because of the clout the Sangh parivar enjoys in the region. The same situation would prevail in Bengaluru district, which has 28 seats, while in the Cauvery basin which has nearly 60 seats the Janata Dal(S) and Congress are likely to dominate.

"Of the 224 seats, he will not have any impact in 114. He is expected to sweep Haveri and Shimoga and may wipe us out in Raichur, Bellary, Koppal and Gadag too with the help of BSR Congress. The impact on the party would be significant in districts like Hubli-Dharwad, Gulbarga, Yadgir, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Davangere, Tumkur, Chitradurga and Chamrajnagar and to some extent in Bidar and Chikamagalur,” the sources elaborated.

According to the internal assessment, neither Mr Yeddyurappa nor BSR Congress would be able to make inroads into the party's core vote bank. However, the BJP is sure to register a steep decline in its vote share rending the chances of a comeback to power remote.