MLA and former BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal alleged in Vijayapura on Thursday that the B.S. Yediyurappa family had entered into a tacit understanding with the Shamanur Shivashankarappa family to see that the BJP does not win in Davangere South.
“It is doubtful if Mr. Yediyurappa and his family will work for party nominee Srinivas Dasakariyappa’s victory. Mr. Shivashankarappa was a good friend of Mr. Yediyurappa. His son, Minister S.S. Mallikarjun, has requested Mr. Yediyurappa to help the Congress win in Davangere. I am sure Mr. Yediyurappa will fulfil that request. He has been engaged in such adjustment politics all his life. His son, Mr. Vijayendra, is continuing it. If the Congress does not give the ticket to Mr. Mallikarjun’s son Samarth Shamanur, then Mr. Vijayendra will give him the BJP ticket. I have all the information,” Mr. Yatnal claimed.
“Mr. Vijayendra is employing social media team to defame senior BJP leaders like Pralhad Joshi and B.L. Santosh. Mr. Vijayendra has claimed that he is spending ₹50 lakh per month on social media expenses,” Mr. Yatnal said.
He further said that he would go to Bagalkot to campaign for BJP nominee Veerabhadrayya Charantimath as he was his good friend. “He has helped me in the past and I have helped him in turn. Once, when Mr. Yediyurappa was not ready to give him the ticket, I requested H.N. Ananth Kumar, former Minister, to give him the ticket. Even now, we continue to be friends,” he said.
Responding to this in Bagalkot, Mr. Charantimath said that he had not contacted Mr. Yatnal regarding this issue. “He has volunteered to come here. I have not called him. Anyway, it will be clear as to who will come here to campaign, only after March 24, when the campaign starts,” he said.