R Ashoka has been appointed as the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This decision follows the BJP Legislature Party meeting held on Friday.
Reacting to his appointment, R Ashoka said, "My party, PM Modi, Amit Shah, Nadda, General Secretary Santhosh and all our MLAs today elected me as LoP of Karnataka Assembly...Congress has done nothing for the poor and farmers in the last 6 months, they're infighting, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar are fighting over the CM post."
Previously, names such as Sunil Kumar, Ashwath Narayan, and Araga Jnanendra were speculated as potential contenders for the position.
The BJP faced criticism from the ruling Congress for the delayed appointment of the Leader of Opposition, several months after the polls were conducted in the southern state.
Former CM Basavaraj Bommai, reacting to the development, said, "It was a unanimous choice. He is a senior leader. I congratulate him. I am very happy."
LoP appointment comes ahead of winter session
During the state Assembly election conducted in May, the Congress emerged victorious by securing wins on 135 seats, while the BJP secured 66 seats.
The BJP, the primary opposition party in Karnataka, made this decision in ahead of the winter session of the state legislature in Belagavi, scheduled to commence on December 4. During the preceding session in July, the Karnataka Assembly convened without the presence of the Leader of the Opposition.
Who is R Ashoka?
Ramaiah Ashoka (born on July 1, 1957) is a senior BJP leader who held the position of the 6th Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka. He has a history of significant roles, having served as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from 2014 to 2018. In addition, he has served as the Minister of Revenue, Minister of Home Affairs, and Minister of Transport under the BJP government. Ramaiah Ashoka also served as the Minister of Health and Family Welfare during the coalition government of BJP and JDS. Notably, he has been elected as the MLA for Padmanabhanagar Assembly Constituency (previously Uttarahalli assembly constituency) a total of seven times.
