The BJP central leadership’s refusal to field former Minister A.H. Vishwanath in the forthcoming elections to the Legislative Council appears to have put a question mark over the political future of the veteran politician, who has already burnt bridges with the Congress and the JD(S).

His last ditch effort to become a part of the B.S. Yeddiyurappa-led BJP government, which he helped prop up last year, through a nomination to the Legislative Council after losing the byelections to the Assembly, now lies in tatters. Yet, Mr. Vishwanath’s career choices remain narrowed down to the saffron party particularly in view of his running feud with senior leaders in the JD(S) and Congress in the State.

After his decades-long association with the Congress, Mr. Vishwanath quit the party three years ago in June 2017, blaming former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah among others, to join the JD(S) and become its State unit president only to join forces with 17 other coalition MLAs a year ago and bring down the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led government in the State.

Mr. Vishwanath himself gave an indication about continuing in the BJP on Thursday when he said he had faith in the leadership of Mr. Yeddiyurappa even though his fellow defectors had “reached the shore while he remained stranded”.

He acknowledged the efforts made by Mr. Yeddiyurappa to include his name in the list of candidates recommended by the BJP’s core committee in Karnataka for the elections to the Legislative Council, while accusing the leaders of Congress and JD (S) of nursing “political grudge” against him.

Standing by Mr. Vishwanath is the Dalit strongman from his native Mysuru V. Srinivas Prasad, the BJP MP representing Chamarajanagar. Refuting suggestions that it was the “end of the road” for Mr. Vishwanath, Mr. Prasad said the onus was on Mr. Yeddiyurappa to “suitably rehabilitate” the veteran politician, who had played a key role in the installation of the BJP government in the State.

“Mr. Vishwanath is a senior politician. It is Mr. Yeddiyurappa’s responsibility to find out from him how best he can be rehabilitated in the interest of the party. I will also remind him [Mr. Yeddiyurappa],” Mr. Prasad said. While Mr. Vishwanath said he would take the setback in his stride as he was “unable to fathom the depth and breadth of the BJP to which he is new,” his camp followers in Mysuru are unable to digest the denial of ticket to their leader when N. Nagaraju, who too had lost in the bypolls to the Assembly last year, enjoyed the backing of the BJP’s central leadership for ticket to the Legislative Council.