BJP warhorse and former CM Yediyurappa hangs up his boots

Bengaluru: Former Karnataka Chief Minister and veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa announced his retirement from electoral politics on Friday. He will turn 80 next February and has indicated that the people of Shikaripur wanted his son BY Vijayendra to contest from Shikaripura. Yediyurappa had won from this constituency 8 times, had been the Chief Minister of Karnataka four times, and 3 times served as the leader of the opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

Announcing his retirement from active politics today in the city Yediyurappa said 'I am satisfied with the role I played as a politician as Chief Minister and as leader of the opposition in the state'. He said he will not contest any elections in the future. "I will dedicate the rest of active life to campaign for BJP all over the state and spare no efforts to bring back BJP into power in the state in 2023 elections with not less than 140-150 seats" BSY, as he is fondly known in Karnataka along with KS Eshwarappa, had begun the BJP's winning streak with only two seats in the Assembly in 1983.

Yediyurappa who has brainstormed over the Southern push of the BJP in his own circles has found substance in the hints that BJP central leaders including JP Nadda and Amit Shah that Karnataka BJP must focus on the old Mysuru region where 45 are on the offering.

The Chintan Manthan Baitak held in the first week of July, in the state had also deliberated on winning seats here which are now in the Congress and JDS hold. This region also is a challenge for the BJP as over 55 per cent of voters belong to the minorities, Dalits and backward classes which was exactly also the losing margin of the BJP in 2018.

Mandya, KR Pete, Srirangapatna, Malavalli, Maddur and Nagamangala where things went wrong for the party due to the fact that the party was not able to penetrate. Yeddyurppa had taken up the challenge to convert the old Mysuru region into a BJP bastion in the 2023 elections.

It also not true the BSY was backtracking for his son Vijayendra, the party is mighty happy about the role Vijayendra had played during the impressive wins in two by-elections held earlier this year.

It is just that Vijayendra cannot be elected when Yediyurappa was still the MLA in the assembly as per the guidelines of the Party a senior party functionary told The Hans India. But there is no denying the fact that Vijayendra was not given a ticket by the party to contest the recent elections to the legislative council, which had saddened BSY.

Retorting to the theories that were circulated that Yediyurappa had a grand plan of crowning his son within the party and from the other party, Vijayendra said'I will not give a chance to his critics to accuse him of nepotism. I will wait for the instructions of the party and abide by them" Vijayendra said.