KS Eshwarappa denies rift in Karnataka BJP, says BS Yeddyurappa is CM candidate in 2018 polls

Ballari (Karnataka): Asserting that he had no rift with BJP's Karnataka unit President BS Yeddyurappa, senior party leader KS Eshwarappa on Monday said they would jointly fight the next assembly polls."Yeddyurappa and me are not like India and Pakistan. We are together. I have no rift or differences with him. He is our leader and the Chief Ministerial candidate in the 2018 state assembly elections," Eshwarappa told reporters in Ballari about 330km from Bengaluru.Denying confusion in the party's state unit on its strategy for the ensuing elections, the BJP's leader in the state Legislative Council said as the party's central leadership had declared that Yeddyurappa would be the Chief Minister again if the party wins in 2018 poll, he would work under the latter and campaign for him.

"We will contest the assembly elections under Yeddyurappa's leadership as decided by our party's central leadership. As a party worker, I abide by its advice. We are friends and not adversaries like India and Pakistan," reiterated Eshwarappa.Refuting media reports that he was ignored by Yeddyurappa at the party's state unit's two-day executive meeting at Mysuru on 6-7 May, the former BJP Deputy Chief Minister said they both had discussed how to strengthen the organisation and tour every assembly constituency.Yeddyurappa, who is the party's lawmaker in the Lok Sabha from Shivamogga in the state's central region was the BJP's first Chief Minister in the state.Eshwarappa also hails from Shivamogga.Clarifying that his Sangoli Rayanna Brigade was apolitical organisation and not a parallel outfit, Eshwarappa said its members were working for the betterment of Dalits and Backward Classes people across the state."I have explained its role to the party leadership, which has not objected to me associating with it," he added.