Tejasvi Surya vs Tejaswini: Faction Fight Hits BJP in its Bastion

Three senior BJP MLAs from south Bengaluru remained absent when Tejasvi was submitting his nomination.

Tejasvi Surya and Tejaswini Ananth Kumar 

(Photo: Arnica Kala/The Quint)

Seated next to a portrait of her late husband Ananth Kumar, on Tuesday, 26 March, Tejaswini Ananth Kumar gave statements to media on the party choosing 28-year-old Tejasvi Surya as the candidate for Bengaluru South over her.

Hiding the shock and disappointment, she insisted she will abide by the party’s decision, even as upset party workers were seen chanting ‘go back Surya’ outside her residence.

By the afternoon, along with an entourage, Tejasvi Surya arrived at her house. After the customary poses for the cameras, when Tejasvi wanted to make a statement, a glimpse of Tejaswini’s anger was seen. She stopped Tejasvi from making a statement saying: “Not in front of his (Ananth Kumar) photo... this is not a forum for that.”

Later, BJP leaders claimed she was not stopping Tejasvi from making a statement, instead she was stopping him from arguing with BJP workers who were protesting against his candidature.

From MLAs staying away from the nomination to angry workers to statements of shock from senior leaders, the discomfort within BJP was palpable since the announcement of Tejasvi’s candidature.

Senior BJP MLAs Missing at Nomination

Tejasvi Surya filing his nomination. (Photo Courtesy: Karnataka BJP)

The most conspicuous sign of disgruntlement came from the three senior BJP MLAs from the Bengaluru South. Out of the eight Assembly segments constituting Bengaluru South parliamentary constituency, the BJP had won five in the 2018 Assembly elections.

On Tuesday, when Tejasvi submitted his nomination, out of these five, only two BJP MLAs were present; and one of them was Tejasvi’s uncle and Basavangudi MLA, Ravi Subramanya.

The three missing senior MLAs from the constituency – former Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka, V Somanna and Satish Reddy – were close confidantes of late MP Ananth Kumar.

Talking to the reporters, R Ashoka claimed he had gone to Ramanagara, on a pre-planned trip, to support his friend and Bengaluru rural candidate Ashwath Narayan. However, even Ashwath Narayan’s candidature was announced along with Surya’s on Tuesday.

State Leadership Kept in the Dark

Karnataka BJP president B S Yeddyurappa with Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, Karnataka BJP in-charge Muralidhar Rao, MP PC Mohan, MLAs Jagadish Shetter and Suresh Kumar in Bengaluru on 4 May 2018. (Photo: IANS)

Hours after the nomination was announced, a south Bengaluru MLA, on the condition of anonymity, told The Quint that the MLAs in Bengaluru South and the state leadership had unanimously chosen Tejaswini Ananth Kumar as their candidate.

By evening, Yeddyurappa openly stated that the state leadership was unaware of the last-minute change. In a statement at his residence, after handing the B-form to Tejasvi, Yeddyurappa said:

“To be frank we had recommended only one name, that of Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, from Bengaluru South to high command. We don’t know how Delhi leaders have taken a decision at the last minute to issue ticket to Surya.”

Why Tejasvi over Tejaswini?

While the state party leadership remained in the dark about the party’s decision to nominate Tejasvi, according to sources, the decision was taken on the recommendation of the RSS faction in the BJP. After the BJP state committee had sent Tejaswini’s name to the central committee, the RSS faction suggested Tejasvi’s name, said sources.

The RSS faction argued that fielding a young candidate from Bengaluru South would help the party consolidate the seat for couple of more decades, just how Ananth Kumar had consolidated Bengaluru South since 1996. Being a debutant, he was chosen over the sitting MP KV Gowda ahead of the 1996 general election.

The RSS’ interference has resulted in widening the gap between pre-exiting rift between the BL Santosh led RSS faction and the Yeddyurappa camp in Karnataka. The RSS, which is backed by Amit Shah, has been trying to increase its influence in the state since the Assembly election in Karnataka.

The RSS faction, which has been trying to undermine Yeddyruappa’s influence over the party citing his recent failure to form a government, has irked many by overturning the decision to field Tejaswini Ananth Kumar.

The BJP being a cadre-based party, the chances of the traditional voters going against the party candidate is a distant possibility. However, the question remains whether the growing influence of the RSS and the rift between the two groups will affect the party in Karnataka in the long term.