VIJAYENDRA SAFE FOR NOW, BUT IS REBELLION BREWING?

WHILE it looks like BY Vijayendra is here to continue as state BJP president for the remainder of his one-year term, Union Minister of State V Somanna has set the political grapevine abuzz with a cryptic yet loaded comment, "I'm presently a union minister handling work across states. My responsibilities are national."

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Chamarajanagar, Bengaluru

Will Somanna be elevated as state BJP president in the middle of Vijayendra's term after the former helped the NDA get 19 seats in the state in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is the question. This round of rebellion started after the bypolls where the BJP did not do well. Vijayendra is the son of party strongman BS Yediyurappa. Confirming his meeting with Yediyurappa-Vijayendra loyalist Renukacharya, Somanna said, "Yes, he met me on July 16. We had a discussion." He refused to elaborate but added a stinging remark that many see as a veiled warning to the party brass: "There are veterans like me in the party who know what injections to give - publicly and privately."