New Delhi: Plagued by an ‘image problem’, infighting and allegations of corruption, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is staring at a tough road ahead of the Karnataka elections. Instead of showcasing the achievements of the Bommai-led government front and centre, TThe ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to play it safe by taking refuge in the shadow of former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. it is ultimate Brahmastra,
react to caste based reservation Tactics, internal reports pointing to an anti-incumbency wave and difficulty in removing the ‘corrupt’ label have the BJP worried about its re-election prospects in Karnataka.
For Bommai, who is trying to broaden his appeal, the support of Yediyurappa – the tallest leader of the Lingayat community – is essential, apart from the favor of the Vokkaligas, Karnataka’s other dominant community.
Which is perhaps why the BJP high command is set to pull out all the stops to keep the 79-year-old reluctant Yediyurappa in good spirits till the elections due later this year, according to a central BJP leader, who did not wish to be named.
CM Bommai was asked to pay special attention to ensure that none of his actions offend Yediyurappa, the leader said, adding that the party has decided to field Bommai as Yediyurappa’s political successor and Karnataka BJP vice-president BS Vijayendra. Also instructed. Shikaripura, the seat of the veteran Lingayat leader, in the upcoming elections.
“There is very good tuning between Yediyurappa and the CM (Bommai). Both respect each other, and there is no doubt that Yediyurappa is the tallest leader (in Karnataka),” BJP national general secretary Arun Singh told ThePrint.
“Both Yediyurappa and the CM were at an event, Bommai requested him to inaugurate the project, but Yediyurappa refused, saying he was the chief minister and the inauguration should be done by the CM only,” Singh, the party in-charge of Karnataka, said.
After losing Himachal Pradesh to the Congress, the BJP’s internal reaction in Karnataka – the only state in southern India where it holds power – has put its national leadership on notice.
“Early surveys in Karnataka are not encouraging, but worrying,” another central BJP leader told ThePrint.
“We have to ensure that Yediyurappa is not distracted at any cost. By playing the caste card, we have tried to balance social equations to blunt anti-incumbency. But it is difficult to say how effective it will be. There is not enough time and too much crisis management (to be done). PM Modi will also have to make more efforts,” said the leader.
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Yediyurappa is not getting a fair deal?
BJP’s problem in Karnataka is two-pronged: its bet on Bommai has paid off not paid And it does not have another mass leader like Yeddyurappa.
Yeddyurappa’s 15-minute meeting with PM Modi was one of the highlights of the BJP’s national executive meeting held in Delhi earlier this month. During the conversation, the two discussed Vijayendra’s candidature and invited Modi to attend the inauguration of the airport in Shivamogga, the parliamentary constituency of Yeddyurappa’s elder son BY Raghavendra.
Yediyurappa has already expressed his desire to inaugurate the airport before his 80th birthday on February 27.
However, sources in the central leadership said the meeting with Modi was more about how to throw out the BJP wagon in Karnataka. He said Modi also told Yediyurappa that the party was expecting more support from him in the poll-bound state.
Yeddyurappa had grabbed headlines for his absence during Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s three-day visit to the state and PM Modi’s Swami Vivekananda Jayanti event. In December, party leaders had to persuade him to share the dais with BJP national president JP Nadda, who was in the state to participate in a yatra organized by the Karnataka unit.
Sources in the Yediyurappa camp said he was never asked to attend Nadda’s meeting, adding that he was on stage with Nadda when he launched the party’s election campaign.
Bommai was made CM because of his Lingayat roots and his chemistry with Yediyurappa, but he lacks that charisma. Allegations of corruption from above, allegations of lack of decisive leadership and infighting have further tarnished the image of his government.
According to Karnataka BJP sources, Yeddyurappa played a central role in consolidating the state’s 17 per cent Lingayat vote, which propelled the party’s rise to power in the state. The BJP believes that Yeddyurappa will remain with the party and that Panchamsalis A large group of Lingayats will also be persuaded to vote.
The strategy of keeping Yeddyurappa close has been adopted by the BJP high command primarily to keep its Lingayat votes together at any cost. Nadda’s Idiot The yatra, along with the party’s nine-day Vijay Sankalp Yatra, was also a part of this strategy to strengthen the party’s core voter base.
It was on the basis of an internal report that the BJP finally decided to induct Yediyurappa into its top decision-making body – the parliamentary board – in order to appease the Lingayats. As a show of respect following the party’s landslide victory in Modi’s home state, he was sent to attend the Gujarat BJP Legislature Party meeting in Ahmedabad as a central observer.
“Yeddyurappa does not seem very happy with these gestures. They are not getting adequate representation compared to what the BJP is demanding from them. Admission to the Parliamentary Board is symbolic. A post like the national vice president is meaningless for him. He has no desire for symbolic or national politics. He wants to hand over his legacy as a Lingayat leader to his brother, that is the real problem,” said a third central BJP leader.
Vokkaliga, JD(S) and Congress
The BJP is also trying to increase its tally in the old Mysuru and Hyderabad-Karnataka regions, which have 40 assembly seats. These are areas where Janata Dal (Secular) major political force.
In 2018, out of 64 assembly seats in Old Mysore, BJP could win only 13.
To cover all its bases, the BJP made sure to give representation to the Vokkaligas by including members from the community in both the party and the government, both at the central and state levels. Seven Vokkaligas were included in the Bommai cabinet in 2021. In addition, Shobha Karandlaje was made a junior Union minister, while CT Ravi was made the national general secretary of the BJP.
Vokkaligaswho constitute 14 per cent of the electorate in Karnataka, are seen as core voters of the JD(S).
During his visit last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah hit out at JD(S) leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy.
“JD(S) leaders sought votes from Lingayats, Kurubas and other groups citing Modi’s closeness with Deve Gowda. In contrast, the BJP does not get Vokkaliga votes because of campaigning against it on the basis of that synergy – a mistake that Shah tried to correct by attacking the JD(S). With that strategy, he is looking to split the anti-incumbency vote by making it a triangular contest,” said another central BJP leader.
The BJP, Singh said, is making efforts to “improve its performance in the Mysore region”.
The state’s decision to increase reservation for Dalits from 15 to 17 per cent and for tribal groups from 3 to 7 per cent has created “an atmosphere of happiness”, he said. “There is no point in the Congress campaign against the CM and the government. On the contrary, they (opposition) are doing their own harm by attacking the chief minister.”
“Just as Dalits in UP are leaning towards the BJP because Mayawati is weak, we are showing respect to Deve Gowda and attacking Kumaraswamy, and giving representation to Vokkaliga leaders,” a Karnataka BJP vice-president told ThePrint. Huh. Many (Vokkaligas) may come to us in old Mysore where Congress, JD(S) are the main rivals. BJP is trying to make the contest triangular. Our doors are open for both JD(S) and Congress Vokkaliga ticket seekers.
the outgoing assembly has 100 MLA from the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities. Of these, 58 are Lingayats and 42 are Vokkaligas. These include 38 Lingayat MLAs from the BJP and 23 from the JD(S).
The BJP’s electoral strategy is not to allow division of Lingayat votes, split Vokkaliga votes, or gain the support of Dalits and go for polarization in Muslim-majority areas.
Not only this, BJP is trying hard to break the tradition of Congress. scheduled caste vote bank like youPM Modi underlined while distributing lease (Lease) to 52,000 Banjaras who have a significant presence in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region.
Leader of the Opposition for the Congress, Siddaramaiah’s constant attack on the BJP is indicative of the party’s election strategy.
“Mallikarjun Kharge, who is now the Congress president, started the process of giving land on lease to the underprivileged in revenue villages in the 1990s. It was extended by the Congress government, but we did not have enough time to give the lease. The BJP wants to harvest the crop grown by us,” Siddaramaiah had said last week.
(Editing by Amritansh Arora)
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