B Sriramulu, the BJP's candidate from Bellary, Karnataka
The BJP has named a controversial politician as one of its candidates in Karnataka despite strong opposition from senior party leader Sushma Swaraj, who went public with her displeasure.
B Sriramulu has been named BJP's candidate from Bellary in north Karnataka, in a list released late last night.
Two weeks ago, Mrs Swaraj had opposed the merger of Mr Sriramulu's BSR Congress with the BJP, arguing that it would mean the direct entry of jailed mining baron Janardhan Reddy, into the party.
Mr Sriramulu, a close aide of Janardhan Reddy, had left the BJP and formed the BSR Congress after differences with the party leadership over corruption allegations against him. Mrs Swaraj was once perceived close to Janardhan Reddy but distanced herself after allegations of illegal mining against him.
Her objection ensured that BJP president Rajnath Singh dropped his plans for a merger, but a few days later, the party decided to bring Mr Sriramulu on board as a member.
Realpolitik seems to have scored over any concern for clean politics. The BJP's Karnataka unit believes that the politician, who quit the BJP in 2012, is crucial for winning over tribal votes in north Karnataka. Mr Sriramulu's party had won four seats in state polls last year.
Mrs Swaraj did not hide her dissent, tweeting that her objections had been overruled. "I want to make it absolutely clear that B Sriramulu has been admitted in the party despite my stiff opposition," she had tweeted.
The BJP's internal divide then played out on social media as BJP leader Arun Jaitley countered his colleague with a blog that said the party needs to concentrate on consolidating its gains and "marginal issues like who's in, and who's out cannot dominate the party's political agenda."