India, Feb. 7 -- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and former Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has expressed concern over the growing internal discord within the party's state unit, calling it an unfortunate development. His remarks came close on the heels of an ongoing push by a faction within the Karnataka BJP to remove state party president BY Vijayendra - a move that the party high command has firmly rejected.

The statement came as party insiders said that the BJP's central command has dismissed these demands of the section of party leaders that has been lobbying for Vijayendra's replacement. Additionally, BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who had claimed that the rebel group met BJP national president JP Nadda, was reprimanded by the...