BSY payback during Bellary bypoll?

BANGALORE: Two months ago, during the Koppal byelections, former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s detractors in the party were hell bent on keeping him away from the campaign pointing at his “tainted” image. But Yeddyurappa staved off the opposition and actively campaigned besides staking a claim for the victory.Now with another byelection around, the roles have been swapped, not without reason. This time, the state leaders are desperate to rope in Yeddyurappa, who is not eager to oblige them. Yeddyurappa has already made his mind public that “due to some special reasons” he would not be campaigning for Bellary bypoll. He has also broadly hinted about the “pain” he received by a few party leaders whom he considered responsible for his untimely ouster from the CM’s post was the reason behind his decision.However, state BJP president K S Eshwarappa and Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda have expressed confidence that Yeddyurappa would change his mind. The party has convened a meeting of its leaders and ministers on November 17 from which a final picture about Yeddyurappa’s participation in the bypoll is expected to come out.Both the groups have “motives” in their changed stances. Unlike previous byelections, where the party posted victory with its hands down, the Bellary bypoll has thrown up a different challenge. For, it is pitted against the Reddy brothers and Sriramulu who were, till recently, considered to be the backbone of the party in Bellary district. The fact that most of the Bellary MLAs are rallying behind  Sriramulu against the diktat of the party, who is an independent candidate, makes the fight even more intensive.Given the present situation, everybody, including the BJP top leaders, are not sure of party‘s victory in Bellary. Sensing this, Yeddyurappa and his detractors are treading carefully to outsmart each other in order to avoid the blame in the event of party’s debacle in Bellary, sources maintain.On his part, Yeddyurappa who is nursing a grudge against some of party leaders, is seeing Bellary bypoll as a “pay-back” opportunity. On Monday, in Shikaripur, he made his intentions very clear by referring to the opposition for his leadership during the Koppal bypoll while announcing his decision not to take part in Bellary elections.By staying away, but allowing his supporters to seek votes for the party candidate, he wants to hit two birds with one stone. One: to prove his indispensability to the state BJP; second: to re-establish his supremacy in the party. In the event of defeat, it is certain that his followers would attribute the defeat to his absence and intensify their demand for a “suitable post” for him in the party, if not in the government. In case of victory, he can still claim it as supporters’ effort. Also, his detractors, who are amazed by the clout of Yeddyurappa within the party, want to face elections along with him so that the blame could be passed on to his “tainted image”.