A protest by a group of party members urging the leadership not to issue a ticket to sitting MLA M P Kumaraswamy from the segment in the upcoming Assembly elections forced the BJP to cancel its rally and roadshow on Thursday, reported news agency PTI. Partymen and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa was scheduled to attend.
The improvements constrained the veteran chief, who is likewise the party's Parliamentary Board part, and different leaders including its public general secretary C T Ravi, and MLC M K Pranesh to forsake the occasion, which was coordinated as a feature of the BJP's progressing 'Vijaya Sankalpa Yatre', and return.
Yediyurappa was on his way to the road show when a group of party members surrounded his car, yelling at Kumaraswamy and pleading with the senior leader to listen to their appeal. After that, a second group of workers gathered at the location and yelled slogans in support of the MLA.
According to reports, the opposition group to the MLA even planned to send Yediyurappa a memo expressing their opposition to Kumaraswamy receiving the ticket.
Ravi and other BJP leaders repeatedly attempted to persuade both sides to allow them to continue the roadshow and rally, but they were unsuccessful.
According to party sources, Yediyurappa did not get out of his car because he was said to be upset about the workers' behavior.
Instead, he went to Chikkamagaluru, they claimed, and canceled the rally and roadshow.
Later addressing reporters, Kumaraswamy turned emotional expressing that he was tormented that a senior chief like Yediyurappa was not permitted to participate in that frame of mind in Mudigere, to sort out where lakhs of rupees were spent.
"I'm being targeted as I come from SC community," he said, claiming that Yediyurappa has instilled confidence in him and has asked him to work for the party and the people.