This is ahead of the crucial Assembly polls slated to be held in May 2023.
Bengaluru: With the three-year term of Nalin Kateel coming to an end weeks ago, the BJP which recently effected changes in the parliamentary board and central election committee, is now looking at bringing in changes in the state presidentship ahead of the crucial Assembly elections slated to be held in May 2023.
Sources in the saffron party told The Sunday Guardian that top brass is looking at making a Vokkaliga or OBC leader the next state president who will carry the party into elections. “Since it is now more than obvious that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will continue in his post and will be most likely the CM face, names of National General Secretary C.T. Ravi and Shobha Karndalje MoS Agriculture are in as top contenders. Both the leaders from Udupi and Chikkamagalur constituencies are Hindutva hardline personalities and come from the Vokkaliga community.”
The name of D. Ashwathnarayan, former deputy chief minister and current minister of Higher Education and IT/BT, is also doing the rounds as the third choice. Since Vokkaligas form the second biggest voters in the state electorate only after Lingayats, it makes sense to go into hustings with the Lingayat-Vokkaligas combination,’’ sources said.
With former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa now being made a member of the all-important parliamentary board and central election committee, chances of his son B.Y. Vijeyndra being made the state head are slim “Having said that, the 2023 state elections will be held under the collective leadership of BSY, Bommai and also the new president from the second most dominant caste. BSY was in Delhi on Friday evening and held back-to-back meetings after paying a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to thank him for the elevation that raised many an eyebrow. BSY met party president J.P. Nadda and general secretary B.L. Santosh and held parlays on the possible names for the party president’s post, ‘’ sources said.
There is also another thinking—bringing in an OBC face to tackle Siddaramaiah who is the Congress’s Ahinda (an acronym for backward class, SC/ST, and minorities) face. From the OBC pool names of energy minister Sunil Kumar, party state organizing secretary Arvind Limbavali and B. Sriramilu are doing rounds.
While Sunil from the Karkala constituency is favoured by Bommai, Limbavalli, who has been kept out of the government, is hopeful of getting the top post. As far as Sriramulu, a close aide of the infamous Reddy brothers of Bellari, is concerned, his popularity in north Karnataka might neutralize Siddaramaiah’s surge in the region.
Last time around, Siddaramaiah won from Badami of the same region as he was defeated in Mysore which was his first seat. It is interesting to note here that Sriramulu had contested against Siddaramaiah and it was a closely fought election in which Siddaramiah won the contest by a whisker.
Sources also said that with the elections just eight months away, the appointment will happen anytime and the coronation of the new president will also coincide with the BJP officially blowing the poll bugle in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.