After big exits from the BJP in Karnataka by sulking Lingayat leaders like Jagadish Shettar, former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa says the community remains "101 percent" with his party.
The veteran leader, who quit electoral politics but remains the BJP's tallest leader in Karnataka as the party preps for the May 10 election, also said Jagadish Shettar, his one-time loyalist, "made a mistake" by quitting the BJP.
Mr Shettar joined the Congress earlier this week, upset at being dropped as a candidate by the BJP.
"We had promised him Rajya Sabha membership and we would make him a minister at the Centre. Amit Shah himself spoke to Shettar. I think he made a mistake leaving the party. We wholeheartedly supported him almost every time," Mr Yediyurappa told NDTV.
"We made him Speaker, minister, gave him almost all important opportunities. I told him not to leave the party."
Mr Yediyurappa, 80, spoke in an exclusive interview in his constituency Shikaripura, where his son BY Vijayendra filed his nomination to contest the election. Mr Yediyurappa has won from the constituency since 1983.
Mr Shettar is a prominent Lingayat leader like Mr Yediyurappa. So was Laxman Savadi, who also quit after being dropped by the BJP.
Would the Lingayats still back the BJP like before? "101% - there is no doubt about it. And wherever there is any misunderstanding, we will convince them... on what happened with Shettar," the former Chief Minister said.
The BJP has dropped several senior leaders from its list of candidates this time, opting for younger leaders and "fresh faces" in an attempt to offset anti-incumbency.
Mr Yediyurappa said his own decision to not fight the election was under no compulsion. "I myself have taken a decision not to contest the assembly election," he stressed.
"According to me, the leadership of Modi ji and Amit Bhai (Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah) will ensure BJP wins this time. We are going to get an absolute majority and we are going to form a government," Mr Yediyurappa declared.
As for his son Vijayendra, who is contesting from his father's constituency for the first time, Mr Yediyurappa said he would win by a margin of more than 55,000 votes.
Mr Yediyurappa, who resigned as Chief Minister in 2021 in a haze of corruption allegations and was replaced by Basavaraj Bommai, dismissed the opposition's campaign focused on corruption on the BJP's watch.
"These are false allegations and will not affect our politics," said the BJP veteran.
His son BY Vijayendra also dismissed the possibility of recent exits impacting the BJP.
"This is a party based on cadre. The party doesn't depend on a few leaders," he told NDTV.
Defending the BJP's decisions, Mr Vijayendra said: "The Intent is pretty clear - to pave the way for a young, new leadership. The BJP is the only party able to test this. The Congress is limited to one family but for the BJP, everything is based on surveys and reports."
The Karnataka election results will be announced on May 13.
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