B L Santhosh holds meeting in Belagavi to quell dissidence

BELAGAVI: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) National General Secretary (Organisation) B L Santhosh, arrived in Belagavi on Wednesday to quell the dissent in the party ranks over distribution of tickets.

He held a high-voltage meeting at a hotel with district leaders from Belagavi City and Rural and Chikkodi units. District BJP president Sanjay Patil and MLA Anil Benake were among those present.

B L Santhosh met district leaders at a hotel in Belagavi.

Following the ticket distribution, there has been dissidence in eight constituencies in Belagavi district, and senior BJP leaders have able to resolve the situation in four of them — Belagavi North, Belagavi Rural, Khanapur, and Saundatti. In Athani and Yamakanmaradi, those who were hoping for the tickets have quit the BJP while dissidence continues in Ramdurg and Bailhongal.

In Athani, Laxman Savadi quit the BJP while Maruthi Ashtagi is contesting as a JD(S) candidate in Yamakanmaradi. In Belagavi North, Anil Benake has been pacified while Dr V I Patil and Mahadevappa Yadawad are contesting as independents from Bailhongal and Ramdurg, respectively.