BENGALURU: As the political discontent within the Congress keeps the ruling coalition on tenterhooks, the BJP appears to be caught in “no man’s land” over how to capitalise on the infighting within the coalition.BJP sources admit that there were efforts made previously to “poach” on MLAs from the ruling coalition parties but have now rescinded all “open” offers to bring the dissidents from the ruling parties to their fold on account of its national president Amit Shah ’s “strict” warnings to not “embarass” them again.It is said the previous “hasty” effort of BJP state president and opposition leader B S Yeddyurappa to try and form a government with only 104 MLAs has created a major embarrassment to its national image.Result: The central leadership has lost its confidence in any pre-mature efforts of Yeddyurappa to try and cobble the numbers yet again to form the government.“There is a strict warning from Shah directly to the state leadership to not create any embarrassment ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election. We cannot risk the image of a national party in such a scenario,” said a senior BJP leader.However, earlier last week during the national executive meeting, Yeddyurappa’s meeting with Shah has given a slimmer of hope that there will be renewed efforts to get confirmed numbers for forming the government, if the coalition fails to stay in power.It is claimed that Yeddyurappa has kept the efforts to approach the ruling coalition MLAs within a tight circle of his confidantes and family.Apart from Yeddyurappa himself, it is said Molkalmuru MLA B Sriramulu and son B Y Vijayendra are the key players in approaching the MLAs from the JD(S) and Congress.Such has been the closeted efforts that BJP sourcs claim even Udupi-Chikkamagalur MP and Yeddyurappa’s close confidante Shobha Karandlaje has been kept out of these efforts.“The entire effort to approach the MLAs from JD(S) and Congress appears to be a one man show and his family. All BJP leaders have been cut off from any discussions on this matter,” said a BJP partyworker.At the other end, the saffron outfit appears to have decided to keep the political “pot boiling” to keep the ruling coalition on tenterhooks.It is said the BJP is trying to keep the coalition guessing on its survival and keep them occupied with internal troubles, thereby securing an edge ahead of the next year Lok Sabha elections.Meanwhile, the BJP leaders have dismissed any efforts by the Congress and JD(S) to poach their MLAs have succeeded.“The media has been flashing the names of Goolihatti Shekar and A S Poornima as having been poached by the Congress. These are baseless rumors. Poornima in fact called me and shed tears over her name being maligned,” claimed BJP general secretary Shobha Karandlaje.Karandlaje said the BJP state leadership is in constant touch with its MLAs and that all of them have been warned about the efforts by the JD(S) and Congress to try and create a rift between themselves and the party.On questions of whether the party is ready to form the government, if the coalition falls through, Karandlaje maintained the party stand and said: “With the kind of troubles in which the coalition is functioning, it is certain to fall soon. We certainly do not have the numbers to form the government on our own and will welcome anyone who joins the BJP. We will wait and watch. Anything can happen in politics.”