Bengaluru, Nov 13 : The appointment of former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa’s son BY Vijayendra as the Karnataka BJP president made it obvious that the party has no choice in Karnataka without the Lingayat strongman.
Yediyurappa’s contribution in bringing BJP to power for the first time in South India was important and was given the chief minister’s post as a gift. In 2019, he was made the chief minister again after the fall of the Congress-JDS coalition government. But due to an understanding with the central leadership, Yediyurappa was asked to step down as the chief minister.
This did not go down well with the Lingayat community, and the party kept Yediyurappa away from the decision-making process of the party. In the Karnataka assembly elections held six months ago, BJP suffered a major setback and lost power. An internal survey of the BJP found that Yeddyurappa’s displeasure affected the party along with public opinion going against it.
Lingayat community votes are decisive as they have always stood behind the BJP in Karnataka, but in the assembly elections held last May, the Congress made an unexpected splash in the Lingayat-dominated North Karnataka of Belagavi, Dharwad, Hubballi, Vijayapura, and Gadag.
Lingayat community dominates 70-odd assembly seats in the state, and the Congress won more than 45 of them, raising concerns among the BJP fold. The central leadership feared that the Lingayat community’s alienation would have a negative impact in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as well.
The BJP, which won 25 out of 28 seats in Karnataka in the last Lok Sabha elections, has now given importance to the Yediyurappa family to reinvigorate the Lingayat community.
Although Vijayendra has been appointed the state party president, it is understood that all the clout would rest in the hands of Yediyurappa.
With the strengthening of Yediyurappa’s hands and forging an alliance with the JDS led by former PM HD Deve Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy, the BJP has attempted to balance the votes of the two major communities, Lingayats and Vokkilagas, ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
