BY Vijayendra, a 48-year-old first-time MLA and the newly appointed BJP state president will lead the party into the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
In 2019, under Lingayat strongman BS Yediyurappa’s leadership, the BJP won 25 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. After a 360-degree change in state politics that saw the party’s attempts to look beyond a particular community and a leader, and the reemergence of a strong Congress, Yediyurappa’s son has been put at the helm of affairs.
BY Vijayendra, a 48-year-old first-time MLA and the newly appointed BJP state president will lead the party into the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The central leadership will be betting big on his dynamism and his father’s political acumen to retain its ground in the state.
His critics may term the party’s decision to bestow the responsibility on him as an inevitable choice given the need to get Yediyurappa fully involved in the electioneering, but it also indicates the BJP’s broader vision of bringing in a general shift in the organisation. Veterans are being slowly pushed to the periphery as BJP grooms young leaders.
Vijayendra’s appointment has come at a crucial time when BJP is up against a formidable Congress state unit that is brimming with confidence after its resounding victory in assembly polls and its central leadership is taking the “Karnataka model” to other poll-bound states. In fact, after its drubbing at the assembly polls, the BJP in Karnataka was almost looking like a rudderless ship.
There is a sudden burst of energy and enthusiasm in the BJP camp as Vijayendra started his assignment by visiting a booth president’s house in Bengaluru a day after his appointment. His action signalled that ‘Karyakartas’ would be the nucleus of the party.
His appointment is seen as a clear message that Yediyurappa continues to be the “numero uno” leader in the party in Karnataka. It will also reassure Lingayats, who nurtured doubts about the party’s approach towards the dominant community, especially after Yediyurappa stepped down from the top post in July 2021. Confusing signals over his role in the party helped Congress chip away a section of its Lingayat support base. Now, the BJP is making solid efforts to get the community’s backing.
Like Yediyurappa, his son has a good rapport with the Lingayat religious heads. Since he will be in Yeddyurappa’s shadow, enjoying the full backing of the party’s central leadership, addressing internal challenges will not be much of a problem. He needs to be firm, combative, and willing to take everyone along as he will be leading a team that consists of leaders who have worked for the party for several decades.
The lawyer-turned-politician needs to show deftness in coordinating with Janata Dal (Secular), which is forging an alliance with the BJP for the Lok Sabha polls. A perfect understanding between the two parties from the grassroots-level workers to top leaders will be crucial for the success of the alliance or it could prove to be counter-productive.
Given JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy’s dynamic and aggressive approach in taking on the government, it is a daunting task for the BJP leadership to match him as the principal opposition party. At times, squaring off with the CM or Deputy CM may be easier than staying a step ahead of the JD(S) in taking on the government. That’s a delicate yet crucial task. But, his good rapport with the JDS top leadership and willingness to work with seniors in his party may work in his favour.
His leadership faces the first big test in early 2024. Though the BJP faces the LS polls entirely on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image and performance, the new team needs to energise the cadre to take the party’s message to voters and counter Congress’s aggressive campaign targeting the PM and the party.
Vijayendra may not have administrative experience, but he is not new to the rough and tumble of state politics and election management. He first made a big splash in state politics by expressing his willingness to take on Siddaramaiah’s son Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah in his home constituency Varuna in the 2018 assembly polls. He had managed to galvanise BJP workers but was pulled out of the contest without giving any reasons. He played a crucial role in ensuring the BJP candidates’ victories in KR Pete and Sira. Both these constituencies were considered difficult for the BJP in by-polls.
The BJP central leadership seems to have made amends with its hitherto apparent Karnataka strategy of looking beyond Yediyurappa and the Lingayat community to expand its base. Now, it is up to the Lingayat strongman and the new state president to deliver results. Vijayendra’s appointment has certainly upped the BJP’s game in Karnataka.
(With inputs from agencies)