Next Question for Karnataka BJP: Who Will Be the Opposition Leader in Assembly?

The “cold war" between two senior leaders involved in the decision-making of the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has led to an embarrassing situation in the southern state — a legislative session is being held without a Leader of Opposition.

While former Karnataka chief minister and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa has been summoned to Delhi by the party central leadership to help finalize the name for the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, News18 has learnt that another senior top-level office-bearer of the BJP has struck down the names suggested by BSY.

Leaders familiar with the development said that Yediyurappa, a member of the BJP’s parliamentary board, has been in favour of Basavaraj Bommai being named as the Opposition leader and is okay with a Vokkaliga being the state party president.

The biggest challenge for the BJP in naming Bommai as the LoP would be that the BJP will have to keep defending itself on the floor of the assembly as the Congress would target him and the BJP over the alleged corruption during his regime, say leaders.

BJP’s National General Secretary (organization) BL Santhosh is learned to be in favour of the party’s National General Secretary C T Ravi, a Vokkaliga leader, and three-time MLA from Huballi Dharwad Arvind Bellad as the Leader of Opposition. This combination is not acceptable to BSY, leaders say. The central leadership is keen on naming the state president on priority. Lok Sabha member Nalin Kateel currently holds the position.

The names that have been submitted to the party seniors in Delhi as probable candidates for the post of the Karnataka state president are Shobha Karandlaje (Vokkaliga), C T Ravi (Vokkaliga), Ashwath Narayan (Vokkaliga), Basavanagouda Patil Yatnal (Lingayat), Arvind Bellad (Lingayat), S Sunil Kumar (Idiga), R Ashoka (Vokkaliga), and Araga Jnanendra (Vokkaliga). Former Minister V Somanna, a Lingayat, has also expressed his desire to become the BJP state president.

It is learnt that C T Ravi, Ashwath Narayan and Sunil Kumar have the support of senior BJP leader Santhosh.

“The state president will have to work closely with the cadre and unite them as they are very disappointed after the assembly poll results. A strong, dynamic leader who can navigate efficiently between the Centre and state leadership is what the high command is looking for," expressed a senior BJP functionary.

The BJP is faced with the Herculean task of choosing the right name for the state party president as the leader will have to reinvigorate the BJP cadre, restructure the state unit, and also ensure a solid win for the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, all within a span of 7-8 months.

CASTE FACTOR

While choosing the leaders for the posts of LoP in both the assembly and the council as well as the state president, the caste combination plays an important role in Karnataka. The two major communities, Lingayats and Vokkaligas, along with the OBCs, are usually given adequate representation. The central leadership thinks that by making a Lingayat the state party president, the BJP could try and mend bridges with the community which had not wholeheartedly voted in favour of the BJP in the May polls.

Traditionally, the Lingayats have voted in favour of the BJP, but the concerted corruption campaign against Bommai by the Congress and the failure to give Lingayats a separate religion tag caused the community to split their votes in favour of the Congress as well.

Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje is also a frontrunner for the post of state party president. “Not only does she have a good connection on the ground with the karyakartas, her experience as a minister, both at the Centre and in the state, and having served as state general secretary, gives her an edge," said a senior BJP MLA who did not want to be named.

Former deputy chief minister and Malleswaram MLA Dr C N Ashwath Narayan is keen on taking up the post of the state party president, sources say. “He is a strong Vokkaliga leader, but we cannot call him a mass leader who can take the party cadre together and bring in a handsome win, one that the BJP desperately needs at this time to keep itself afloat in South India," said political analyst S A Hemanth.

It is also said that a group of BJP leaders also submitted to the party high command that BSY’s son and first-time MLA B Y Vijayendra can also be a suitable choice as he is young and has worked with the party cadre extensively as the vice-president of the Karnataka BJP. “He, however, is considered inexperienced by the party leadership," said a BJP leader.

TARGET 28/28 for LS POLLS

News18 has also learned that former BJP minister Kota Srinivas Poojary’s name has been finalized as the LoP in the state council.

The high command has made it clear to the Karnataka BJP leaders that the Lingayat and Vokkaliga votes should be in favor of their party in the upcoming elections and ensure that the senior community leaders travel across the state and work towards consolidating support.

“Yediyurappa is quite upset with the results of the BJP in the recently concluded assembly polls and has made it clear to the top leadership that if they want a solid win in the 2024 elections, they must accept his choice of candidates as he will ensure that they will work to sweep the 28 Lok Sabha seats for Karnataka.

The party seniors also know that to ensure that the Lingayat votes consolidate in favour of the BJP, only BSY can do so. Having been forced to step down from the post of the CM, BSY was later elevated to the parliamentary board and also given a free hand to choose winnable candidates for the BJP in Karnataka during the May assembly polls. In lieu of the responsibility, BSY had promised to bring the BJP back to power in the state and also in the Lok Sabha Polls.

​The BJP faced major anti-incumbency in the assembly polls and managed to win just 65 seats out of the 224 assembly seats. With the upcoming general elections, the party’s central leadership has asked BSY to deliver on the promise of winning 28/28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.

“BSY in Karnataka is the most intelligent political strategist. Under his leadership and guidance, our party is hoping to wade through this crisis after the unexpected debacle in the recent polls. We as the party cadre look up to his political acumen to take the party to the glory it deserves," said Ganesh Karnik, a senior BJP leader.