New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) in Karnataka is a divided home after its 72-seat loss to the Congress within the state meeting elections, outcomes of which have been introduced Saturday.
Whereas one faction throughout the social gathering has been blaming veteran social gathering chief and former Chief Minister B.S Yediyurappa for failing to attract Lingayat votes in favour of the social gathering, one other group has been accusing the social gathering’s nationwide common secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh of defective ticket distribution.
The outgoing BJP authorities within the state, led by CM Basavraj Bommai, has additionally been held answerable for anti-incumbency.
In a press convention Sunday, Lingayat chief V. Somanna attacked Yediyurappa mentioned, “it needs to be requested to Yediurappa why Lingayat votes have been divided. He’s BJP’s tallest chief and Lingayat.”
The Lingayats, a part of the opposite backward lessons (OBC) within the state, are a dominant caste with appreciable political clout. The BJP obtained 56 per cent of Lingayat votes within the Karnataka meeting elections held on 10 Could, in accordance with Centre for the Examine of Creating Societies survey. Yediyurappa has been the BJP’s most distinguished Lingayat faces within the state.
In the meantime, in an opinion piece printed in Indian Specific Monday, BJP Karnataka spokesperson Vaman Acharya blamed the “lacklustute governance” by the outgoing BJP authorities and the “muck of corruption” for Saturday’s defeat.
Nevertheless, the chief who has been receiving the utmost quantity of flak for the BJP’s Karnataka loss is Santhosh.
The BJP nationwide common secretary (organisation), who had been tenting in Karnataka within the run-up to the elections, and performed a key position in deciding ticket distribution to marketing campaign technique, is dealing with the ire of state social gathering leaders following Saturday’s loss. Sources in Karnataka BJP additionally informed ThePrint that there was loads of anger towards Santhosh’s core group, comprising the social gathering’s state unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel, nationwide common secretary C.T. Ravi and Shobha Karandlaje, who had been managing the social gathering’s marketing campaign within the state.
“Anti-incumbency however, ticket distribution was one of many main issue which went towards the BJP [in this election]. Many Yediyurappa supporters, who had obtained hints that they could not get ballot tickets, switched events to contest as Congress candidates and managed to defeat the BJP leaders pitted towards them. This exhibits our total survey and ticket distribution mechanism was defective,” mentioned a BJP candidate who misplaced from a north Karnataka constituency.
The chief added: “Tickets have been distributed solely to settle rating. Usually throughout polls, politicians make tall claims to win state to enthuse cadre, however even after polling, Santosh’s claims of BJP profitable in Karnataka exhibits how far he was disconnected from floor actuality and was fooling even the BJP excessive command.”
Even because the exit polls indicated a loss for the social gathering, Santosh had tweeted, “With due respect to all movie star pollsters, none of them predicted 282 [seats for the party] in 2014 or 303 in 2019 [Lok Sabha elections or 156 in 2022 [Guajarat assembly] or 104 in 2018 [Karanataka assembly election]. In 2018 BJP in Karnataka led in 24k [24,000] cubicles, this time we’ll lead in 31k [31,000] cubicles…”.
Responding to a question on whether or not the loss in Karnataka has been pinned on Santosh, Union Minister and BJP chief Pralhad Joshi mentioned it was a collective loss and never due to anyone individual’s failure.
Chatting with ThePrint, BJP’s north Bengaluru MP and former CM D.V. Sadanand Gowda mentioned “there have been a number of elements behind defeat, not just one issue. We’re receiving complaints about ticket distribution and others. We’ll focus on all these points in two-three days, as soon as all candidates and winners come to satisfy social gathering leaders.”
Ticket distribution was a serious bone of competition forward of the meeting elections, with a lot of it centered round Yediyurappa.
Yediyurappa who was eliminated as CM in July 2021, was inducted into the social gathering’s Parliamentary Board final 12 months. He was additionally made a member of the marketing campaign committee forward of the election.
Voices towards Yediyurappa had gained momentum throughout the social gathering after he had introduced final 12 months that his son Vijayendra will substitute him because the BJP candidate in his dwelling constituency of Shikaripur. There was additionally resentment in some sections over what’s seen because the disproportionate favour proven by the previous CM to rebels from the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), who helped him return to energy in 2019.
Whereas the BJP’s defeat within the Karnataka meeting elections has raised some doubts about his future throughout the social gathering, Yediyurappa stays somebody who enjoys respect amongst voters from not solely the Lingayat group, however Dalits, Muslims and Vokkaliga (one other OBC group which is a dominate caste in Karnataka).
Murmurs of a reorganisation have already began throughout the social gathering, nonetheless. In line with sources, names of Karandleje and state leaders Aswath Narayan and V. Sunil Kumar are doing the rounds for the submit of Karnataka BJP president.
“With the Lok Sabha elections across the nook, the social gathering must revamp the state unit with new a set of management in Karnataka. Additionally, to play the position of opposition social gathering within the state meeting, social gathering wants vitality in organisation and expertise with aggressiveness to nook the Congress. The social gathering might select extra energetic leaders to steer the social gathering in meeting and organisation,” mentioned a state functionary on situation of anonymity.
BJP Karnataka vp Nirmal Kumar Surana, nonetheless, informed the print that the social gathering had began the train to search out out what went fallacious in Karnataka and all candidates have been requested to share their inputs, for the social gathering to organize a report.
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‘Complete report to make sure we don’t repeat identical mistake’
The primary assault towards Yediyuappa after the announcement of outcomes had come from Somanna, who misplaced to the Congress’s Siddaramaiah from Varuna constituency. In line with social gathering sources, Somanna had not been eager to offer his seat of Govindraj Nagar in Bengaluru from he had been elected in 2018, however persuaded by the central management to take action.
He additionally contested from the Chamarajanagar constituency, however misplaced each seats. Whereas campaigning in Karnataka forward of the elections, senior BJP chief and Union Residence Minister Amit Shah had additionally sought votes for Somanna.
Somanna, a Lingayat chief, misplaced regardless of a great part of voters in each seats being from the group, main his supporters to accuse of Yediyurappa of ballot fixing, to make sure that the Congress pitted a weak chief towards his son Vijayendra, to allow him to win the Shikaripura seat.
In the meantime, in his opinion piece in Indian Specific, Acharya wrote, “The BJP has to face and reply the next challenges: How can it enhance its vote share and transcend 35 per cent? How can it result in new management within the state? How can the dependency on PM Modi be lowered? How can corruption be weeded out when it’s in authorities? How can the social gathering be extra cautious within the collection of candidates? How can a way of goal be re-infused within the karyakartas? How can the BJP as soon as once more seize the creativeness of the lots? And eventually, how can the social gathering preserve from turning into complacent?”
Echoing the Karnataka BJP spokesperson’s allegations of anti-incumbency and “lack of decisive management” within the state, BJP chief Siddu Patil, who received from Bidar mentioned, ”I’ve working on this constituency for a number of years. Our work protected me from anti-incumbency, however anti-incumbency was one of many purpose for social gathering defeat in different areas. Folks have been aggravated.”
He added that “defective ticket distribution” and the BJP’s failure to “counter Congress marketing campaign successfully”, have been the opposite causes for the social gathering’s defeat.
Some among the many social gathering additionally attributed “Yediyurappa’s humiliation” as one purpose for the BJP’s disconnect from voters, particularly these among the many Lingayat group.
“His [Yediyurapp’s] tears didn’t go properly in group,” mentioned a former deputy chief minister and minister within the Bommai cupboard.
The previous deputy CM was referring to Yediyurappa breaking down a number of instances throughout his farewell speech after being compelled to resign as CM.
Responding to Yediyurappa saying his son’s title as the subsequent candidate from his Shikaripura seat, Ravi earlier this 12 months unleashed what appeared to have been a potshot at Yediyurappa, despite the fact that he denies it was that.
“Vijayendra isn’t an automated option to contest the Shikaripura seat vacated by Yediyurappa after he opted out of the ballot race,” Ravi had mentioned.
The previous minister added: “Lingayat leaders like Jagdish Shettar and Laxman Savadi have been additionally denied tickets [they contested as Congress candidates]. It solely created resentment in group. Spiritual chief[from the Lingayat community] unfold message to group to vote for the Congress.”
He had added: “…The choice on a candidate won’t be taken in anybody’s kitchen. No person will get the ticket as a result of they’re any person’s son.” The choice, he added, can be primarily based on the winnability of a candidate.
Whereas Ravi later clarified that his views weren’t directed at Vijayendra, Yediyurappa too had tried to play it down, saying, “Ravi is true, whether or not it’s Vijayendra or another MLA, it’s the board that can resolve on ticket distribution.”
The Yediyurappa camp throughout the social gathering, nonetheless, blamed Santhosh’s “defective ticket distribution” for the social gathering’s loss.
“Those that have been sitting in workplace have been deciding ticket distribution of those that had a finger on the heartbeat of individuals, it backfired. Kumaraswamy [former CM and Janata Dal (Secular leader] mentioned [during campaigning] that the Brahmin foyer in BJP was working to defeat Lingayat strongman [Yediyurappa]. It resonated among the many cadre on the grounds.”
As camps throughout the BJP proceed to be engaged in a blame sport, a senior member of the social gathering’s central management informed ThePrint that the “state management has been informed to speak to all candidates and search info on what led to the defeat. A complete report can be ready in order that we don’t repeat the identical mistake in Lok Sabha election. Position of dissidents, rebels, the Lingayat issue and ticket distribution — all can be mentioned.”
Whereas Bommai has remained lively even after the defeat and is seen to be lobbying for the position of chief of opposition, retaining him within the place could also be tough for the social gathering because it misplaced the elections beneath his management. Kateel, who has already accomplished a three-year time period as state chief can also get replaced within the coming day, in accordance with sources, as the main target of the social gathering stays re-motivating the cadre forward of subsequent 12 months’s Lok Sabha elections.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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