Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, wife of late Bengaluru South MP Ananth Kumar has been made the Vice President of the Karnataka unit of BJP in an effort to placate her and supporters of the former Union minister after she was denied a party ticket. The announcement was made by the BJP state President and former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa on Tuesday.
The announcement comes the same day party’s National President Amit Shah is set to visiting the city for a road show to campaign for youngster Tejasvi Surya, the party’s choice of candidate for the same constituency. Tejaswini did not hold a post in the party until Tuesday.
The decision to deny Tejaswini a ticket had come as a surprise to many given that Yeddyurappa had endorsed her candidature and recommended the same to the High Command just a day before the first list of candidates was released by the party. Instead of Tejaswini, the BJP’s national leadership had chosen 28-year-old Tejasvi Surya, a Yuva Morcha leader and nephew of Basavanagudi MLA Ravi Subramanya over Tejaswini. The move had reportedly created many fissures within the state party who had endorsed her candidature.
Ananth Kumar had represented the Bengaluru South segment since 1996 and after his demise in November last year, the party’s state leaders had wanted his wife Tejaswini to contest elections.
BJP party workers, who had been campaigning in the constituency on Tejaswini’s behalf had even staged a dharna outside her house in VV Puram, when news of Tejasvi’s nomination came in.
Despite the disappointment, she had told reporters that she would selflessly work for the party.
"It is shocking to me and the BJP workers. Let us not ask any more questions. If we have to contribute to this country, we have to work together for Modi,” she said after Tejasvi’s candidature was confirmed.
The move to make Tejaswini the Vice President is similar to a move by the party in April 2018 when Yeddyurappa’s son Vijayendra was made the Youth Wing President. This after he was denied a ticket to fight from Varuna constituency in Mysuru against then CM Siddarmaiah’s son Yathindra.