S. A. Hemanth
Bengaluru, April 19: Ayanur Manjunath, an important BJP functionary in Shimoga, who quit the saffron party today, had earlier quit and had joined the Janata Party headed by liquor baron Vijay Mallya in 2004.
The reason was something similar to what is happening now – Ayanur was denied Assembly ticket from Shimoga constituency for the 2004 elections. In the now-defunct Janata Party, Ayanur Manjunath was made the State Working President.
Ayanur Manjunath belonging to the Lingayath community has a running feud with K. S. Eshwarappa, a Kuruba leader over the issue of contesting Assembly elections from Shimoga constituency. Eshwarappa has a firm hold over the seat and has never lost except for once in 1999.
A RSS product and an important leader of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), labour wing of the RSS, Ayanur was earlier MLA from Hosanagara constituency in the outskirts of Shimoga city. However, with the delimitation of the constituencies, Hosanagara became the part of Shimoga thus Ayanur losing his traditional Hosanagara constituency.
Ayanur is perhaps the very few politicians who have had stint in both the Houses of Legislature – Assembly and Council –and both the Houses of Parliament – Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. After being MLA from Hosanagara in 1994 elections, Ayanur was made the candidate to Lok Sabha from Shimoga parliamentary constituency in 1998. He won the elections. Later, he was made the Rajya Sabha MP and then MLC.
BJP is of the view that Ayanur had enjoyed so many positions in the BJP and he ought to have sacrificed the MLA ticket.
“Nobody had that privilege of being MLA, MLC, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MP like Ayanur. But still he chose to move away only due to the ego and personality clash with Eshwarappa. This is not acceptable. There is a limit for greed,” BJP general secretary and MLC N. Ravi Kumar said while speaking to The Newz Peg from Chittapur where he is campaigning.
Ayanur Manjunath rushed to Hubli and handed over his resignation as MLC to Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti and while returning to Shimoga met former Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy at Chitradurga where joined the JDS. He will be fielded as JDS candidate from Shimoga Assembly constituency.
EOM
