New Delhi | Ramakant Chaudhary: A new chapter will begin for the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as Karnataka as Bookanakere Sidalingappa Yediyurappa has stepped down as Chief Minister exactly two years after he assumed the coveted post in the state. The leadership transition has been effected in Karnataka weeks after the Union Cabinet rejig witnessed a generational change in the BJP. It has ended months of speculations due to growing dissidence within the BJP in Karnataka, a sole state in south India where the saffron party is ruling.
Yediyurappa’s resignation was a talking point around the saffron political gallery for a month. However, there is no obvious front-runner and the BJP is working hard to find his successor. This clearly underscores the importance of Yediyurappa in Karnataka’s political landscape.
Yediyurappa has always been a factor in the BJP’s success in the southern state. He has always managed to win elections in Karnataka without piggybacking on Modi magic and Hindutva politics. It was the hard work of Yediyurappa that catapulted the BJP to power in the south, making it a truly national party. The BJP has witnessed a steady growth in the state under his stewardship.
The rise and fall of Yediyurappa mirrored the up and down of BJP’s political fortunes in Karnataka. In 2011 he was forced to quit as the chief minister over allegations of corruption. A year later, Yediyrappa formed a new party Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) that wrecked the BJP’s political fortunes pushing the saffron party into the third position in the 2013 assembly elections. The KJP gave a massive jolt to the BJP and party top brass realized that Yediyurappa must be on board to take on 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
BS Yediyurappa is the most influential leader of the Lingayat community that constitutes over 15 percent of the state population. He went beyond his caste base to expand the BJP’s footprint among other communities. The BJP’s success story in Karnataka is hooked with the immense political stature of Yediyurappa who has mobilized the Lingayats for the party. With the overwhelming support of Lingayats, the BJP bagged 25 out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in 2019 elections while 17 seats in 2014.
BJP national president JP Nadda said that BS Yediyurappa had done a good job at handling Karnataka and party affairs. It clearly underlines the political stature of Lingayat strongman. With 2012 memories intact, the BJP leadership is cautiously handling the entire political development. The BJP leadership knows that without the blessings of Yediyurappa its newfound chief ministerial candidate could not lead the party into the next election in 2023. Yediyurappa’s preferences while choosing his successor could be considered.
While many names of potential CM candidates are doing the rounds, the key contenders for the post could be: Murugesh Nirani, the Mining Minister in the Yediyurappa Cabinet and a Lingayat face; Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi who led the BJP in 2013 when Yediyurapp left the saffron fold to form his own party; BJP General Secretary Organization BL Santosh who is tallest leader after Yediyurappa and very close to the Prime Minister; and CN Ashwath Narayan who is from the Vokkaliga community which is the second largest vote bank in Karnataka. This apart, the names of Murugesh Nirani, CT Ravi, Aravind Bellad and Basavaraj Bommai are in the fray to take over the chief minister’s chair.
BS Yediyurappa’s farewell speech at the function to mark two years of his government rammed up a clear message that he has demitted CM office but not quitted active politics in the state. Reasserting his faith in the central government, he committed himself to serving the BJP to ensure its victory in the next elections.
Keeping all factions and caste communities in a win-win situation, the BJP has to walk a tightrope to ensure a smooth leadership transition so that the stability of the government could not have any jolt.
(Ramakant Chaudhary is a political-social commentator and journalist who has worked with The Times of India, Hindustan Times (Mint), Dainik Jagran Group, The Pioneer and The Political and Business Daily. The views expressed are personal.)
