The appointment of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai as the election campaign committee chairman, as the state gears up for assembly elections, appears to be a balancing act by the BJP. As there were rumors of growing discontent among a section of senior BJP leaders due to the promotion and prominence given to veteran leader BS Yediyurappa, the saffron party tried to balance caste and power while making the list.
Bommai, who belongs to the Lingayat community, has been named the chairman of the election campaign committee, while Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje from Vokkaliga has been made the head of the election management committee. The decision shows that the BJP is trying to strike a balance between the two major communities in the state ahead of the elections.
Karandlaje has been nominated to both the committees, making it official that she will have a bigger role in state politics as the elections approach. Top BJP sources said she could also be the chief ministerial candidate.
Despite announcing his retirement from electoral politics, Yeddyurappa had said that he would “work for the BJP and its success till my last breath”. With the state government led by Bommai being attacked by the opposition on several fronts, including allegations of corruption and misrule, the central leadership of the BJP took a conscious decision to give Yeddyurappa a more prominent role in the election to increase its chances of victory .
Sources in the BJP told News18 that the news of BSY being included in the core election campaign team had ruffled a few feathers – with senior leaders like V Somanna and Basangouda Patil Yatnal expressing their apprehensions.
“After Amit Shah’s open appeal to voters to trust PM (Narendra) Modi and BSY one more time and give another chance to BJP, the way PM Modi accepted and attended the event in Shivamogga Concerns arose in a certain section of BJP leaders. There is a tussle with BSY,” said a senior state BJP leader.
As the Lingayat community’s demands for a separate religious tag and increased reservation have not been met, the BJP also fears that the party will be forced to rely on BSY’s influence. Besides this, the fear of electoral setback also forced the party to bring BSY back to the center stage. It has been informally projecting him as the person leading the election campaign.
The recent visit of BJP national general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan was seen as an attempt to pacify the camp opposed to BSY.
Commenting on the development, political analyst Sandeep Shastri said, “When a party does not officially announce a chief ministerial candidate, making the sitting chief minister the chairman of the election campaign committee is like a consolation prize.”
Shastri questioned whether it was enough to make Yediyurappa a member of the campaign committee, especially a man of his stature and who has been a mentor.
“Is it befitting his stature? Maybe he will be named as the party’s star campaigner later. It appears like a catch-all committee – which takes care of all interests and favors any faction. Or does not drop the key player. But are you doing justice to the role that you expect from a former chief minister, that is the question to be asked.
Yediyurappa has promised the central leadership that though he has retired from active politics, he will work towards bringing the BJP back to power – an aspect that has eluded the party till date. Shastri questioned what role would be given to the former CM to achieve this.
“What would the BJP need to do to satisfy him (BSY) to play his role with gusto? What rewards has the party promised him that will help him fulfill the promise he made with gusto? Shastri asked, adding that the catch lay in the fact that BSY would also have expectations from the BJP, including enlisting his strong supporters and a say in ticket distribution.
SA Hemanth, another Bengaluru-based political analyst, found it absurd to nominate Bommai as the election campaign chief.
“BJP has said that it will contest the elections under the leadership of Bommai. A campaign chief usually asks people to vote in favor of the CM candidate. Even when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime ministerial candidate, LK Advani was appointed as the chairman of the election campaign committee. Advani sought votes for the BJP under the leadership of Vajpayee. In such a situation, will Bommai seek votes for himself? So it is absurd,” said Hemant.
He said that the BJP and Yeddyurappa have said that if the party wins the election, the BJP LP will decide who will be the CM, so it does not seem right to make Bommai the president.
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