Kundapura: Several BJP party members in Kundapur are unhappy with BJP’s decision to give the Kundapur ticket to Halady Srinivas Shetty. Six BJP members including district BJP vice-preisdent B Kishore Kumar tendered their resignations due to dissatisfaction over the ticket distribution on Tuesday April 10th.

The resignations were given by District BJP vice-president B Kishore Kumar, who was also the BJP candidate in 2013 Assembly elections, Sathish Shetty Merdi, BJP backward morcha chief secretary Vittal Poojary, BJP backward morcha treasurer Srinivas Kunder, district executive member Ravindra Dodmane and BJP backward morcha member Chandramohan Poojary. They submitted their resignations to district BJP president Mattaru Rathnaker Hegde at his residence on April 10.

Kundapur BJP now has two factions. The faction led by Kishore Kumar and Rajesh Kaveri are against the ticket being given to former MLA Halady Srinivas Shetty and insist that the ticket be given to J P Hegde who joined the BJP from Congress last year.

Dissatisfaction within Kundapur BJP has been simmering since a year-and-a-half. The faction led by Kishore which has said that those who worked for the BJP do not get a fair deal had made its dissatisfaction public during the recent BJP Parivartana Yatra held in Kundapur.

The main opposition for Halady is from Rajesh Kaveri. He was earlier removed from his post in the BJP Backward Morcha. Both, Kishore Kumar and Rajesh Kaveri served as Kundapur BJP presidents and are young leaders.

“I am unhappy with BJP’s decision of announcing ticket to Halady. The BJP workers have already expressed their disappointment over Halady joining back. We are not rebelling against BJP but won’t be campaigning for Halady”, affirmed Kishore Kumar.

“I am not going to approve the resignations. There is some confusion prevailing among BJP workers in the Kundapura Assembly Constituency. We need to clear them out. A meeting with the senior and junior party leaders will be conducted in this effect. Some activists are opposing Halady, but don’t have personal grudge against the party.

I am confident that they won’t leave the party. Even those who have tendered resignations are supporting BJP. I am sure that the issue will be sorted soon, as each party workers contribution is required to make BJP win,” said Mattaru Ratnakar Hegde, president of Udupi district BJP. The party won’t be changing the candidate of Kundapur, he confirmed.