In Karnataka’s Kurukshetra, now a fight over Krishna

BENGALURU: As the electoral Kurukshetra is unfolding in Karnataka, political parties are keen to have Krishna on their side. Reports of former Chief Minister S M Krishna contemplating to quit BJP created a buzz in the political arena on Tuesday and some Congress leaders heightened the speculations by claiming that the veteran leader is likely to return to the grand old party.

“Krishna is feeling suffocated in BJP as the party has not treated him with the dignity he deserves and a couple of senior Congress leaders who have been close to him for decades are in touch with him to bring him back,” sources in Congress told TNIE  even as reports started making headlines in the electronic media.

However, Krishna who is in Mumbai, rubbished the reports. Krishna in a statement said, “I have no reason to quit BJP. The reports of me contemplating to return to Congress deserve to be thrown into the dustbin.”
But the timing of the speculations has raised eyebrows as Krishna’s daughter Shambhavi’s name is doing the rounds as a possible choice of BJP to contest from Madduru in Mandya district or Rajarajeshwari Nagar in Bengaluru.

Shambavi’s name does not figure in the first list of 72 candidates announced by BJP on Sunday. The party has given the ticket to Muniraju Gowda from Rajarajeshwari Nagar, but the candidate for Madduru is yet  to be announced. Krishna, who quit Congress in March 2017 to join BJP, was seen as a ‘big catch’ as he commands huge respect among the strong Vokkaliga community and the voters in Bengaluru, which has 28 assembly seats. However, he has remained away from the limelight since then. His non-involvement in party affairs and campaigning created a buzz that he has been sidelined and is ‘miffed’. 

JD(S) state president H D Kumarawamy said Krishna will be welcomed by his party if he is set to quit BJP. While BJP state leaders refused to comment, later in the evening BJP national general secretary Muralidhar Rao said Krishna will remain in BJP.

“Our political rivals are spreading rumours about Krishna. He will have a more active role in the coming days,” BJP state spokesman and former MLC Ashwath Narayan said.