Convention planned in May by BJP to mark BSY’s 50-year political life

The Bharatiya Janata Party is set to hold a massive convention in Chitradurga in May to mark five decades of the political career by its veteran leader B.S. Yediyurappa.

Sources in the party said that the convention would be used to not only send a unity message, but also to sound the poll bugle, as roughly another two years would be, by then, left for the next elections to the Assembly.

“It is natural for the party to honour a leader like Mr. Yediyurappa on such an occasion as he has built the party brick by brick, and is also responsible for bringing the party to power for the first time in the State. But several leaders are keen to use this occasion to galvanise the party cadre ahead of the polls,” a BJP leader told The Hindu.

Concern over groupism

Sources said that a large number of leaders were now concerned that their future would be bleak if groupism in the party did not end. “We are not able to fully use the failures of the Congress government to our advantage mainly owing to a lack of unity in the party. A large number of party leaders are keen to send a unity message from this convention to the cadre as well as the public,” they said, while pointing out that all leaders including the rebels would be invited to the convention.

The intention is to create momentum to help strengthen the party organisation ahead of the Assembly elections as well as the forthcoming polls to local bodies, sources noted.

State tour

Mr. Yediyurappa, who completed 83 years a few days ago, is expected to take up a State tour after the convention, as he has already declared that he would tour the State to bring the party to power.

Chitradurga was chosen as the venue mainly since it is in the central part of the State, sources explained. The party has appointed educationist Prabhakar Kore as the president of the reception committee for organising the convention, while former Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol has been appointed honorary president and former Minister B. Sriramulu as the working president.

Mr. Karjol told The Hindu that they were expecting a turnout of about 5 5 lakh. The date of the convention would be decided in consultation with Central leaders, he said.

He said all leaders who either worked or were associated with Mr. Yediyurappa would be invited to the convention along with heads of several mutts.

Since the 1970s

It was in the 1970s that Mr. Yediyurappa began his political life as the president of the Shikaripur taluk unit of the then Jan Sangh and also as the member of the Shikaripur municipality.

He rose in politics later by holding the posts of party State president, Leader of the Opposition, and Chief Minister. His son B.Y. Vijayendra is presently the BJP State president.