The BJP is facing fresh turmoil as former minister B. Sriramulu, angered by accusations from a top party leader, has threatened to resign. The incident stems from the November 2024 Sandur bypoll, where BJP candidate Bangaru Hanumanthu lost to the Congress by a margin of 9,649 votes in a constituency the BJP has never won.
The controversy erupted at a core committee meeting late on Tuesday night, where Sriramulu was accused by BJP national general secretary Dr. Radha Mohan Das Agrawal of playing a role in the party’s defeat. Agrawal, who is responsible for the party’s affairs in Karnataka, alleged that Sriramulu had not done enough to support Hanumanthu’s campaign. Sriramulu, one of the BJP’s prominent Scheduled Tribe (ST) leaders, was deeply hurt by the accusation, calling it insulting and unfair.
Sriramulu confronted Agrawal at the meeting, demanding evidence for the claim. “I campaigned until the last day,” he said, adding that he would resign if his actions were truly responsible for the party’s loss. The allegations come amid an ongoing political rivalry with mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy, who has been actively trying to re-establish his influence in Ballari district, and Sriramulu believes Reddy might have played a role in the accusations against him.
Sriramulu also expressed frustration with BJP state president BY Vijayendra, accusing him of not standing up for him in the face of the allegations. He noted that other senior party members, including Basavaraj Bommai and R. Ashoka, disapproved of how he was treated. This latest conflict adds to the growing infighting within the BJP, as tensions within the party continue to escalate.