Bengaluru/IBNS: The rift within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka came to the public fore on Thursday as former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa was forced to cancel the party's pre-election march in Chikkamagaluru district after being gheraoed by party workers apparently supporting their national general secretary CT Ravi. 

Ravi had dismissed Yediyurappa's announcement that his son BY Vijayendra would contest from the family stronghold Shikaripura in Shimoga district in the upcoming elections.

This has triggered friction that resulted in Thursday's showdown.

Dramatic scenes unfolded at Mudigere constituency on Friday afternoon as  Yediyurappa arrived to lead the BJP's Vijay Sankalp Yatra.

According to reports, party workers and supporters of CT Ravi gheraoed Yediyurappa's car.

They demanded that an assembly ticket should not be given to MLA MP HD Kumaraswamy, who is eyeing another term in the Mudigere constituency.

Kumaraswamy, known for his unfiltered comments, is seen as a liability by a section of the party.

With Yediyurappa holding a position on the parliamentary board, party workers hoped that he would be in a position to lobby for other aspirants and deny tickets after he announced his son's candidature from the Shikaripura constituency.