Karnataka: BJP loyalists vs new entrants debate over CP Yogeshwar’s bid

BENGALURU: MLC and cabinet hopeful CP Yogeshwar was once again the subject of a ‘loyalists vs new entrants’ debate in BJP on Wednesday. The chief minister’s political secretary, MP Renukacharya, and water resources minister Ramesh Jarkiholi took opposing stands on Yogeshwar’s potential candidacy for a cabinet position.
Yogeshwar contested the 2018 assembly elections on a BJP ticket, but lost.He then joined Congress before returning to BJP again.
“When there are MLAs who have been elected by the people and nurtured by the party to win polls time and again, does it make sense to accommodate a defeated candidate in the cabinet? First it was the 104 MLAs who won and then came 17 others,” Renukacharya said. The 17 others are former Congress-JD(S) rebels who helped BJP form the government last year and later joined the saffron party. Renukacharya said that he and other BJP loyalists had conveyed their view to the party leadership.
But Jarkiholi said that he would fight for his friend Yogeshwar and ensure that he became a minister. “Some people may be opposing his name, claiming he is a defeated candidate, but I will always bat for him. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I believe that Yogeshwar was a vital cog in bringing the Yediyurappa government to power,” Jarkiholi said.
He made the comments before flying to Delhi, where he was expected to pursue the issue of cabinet expansion with Amit Shah and JP Nadda.