The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which suffered a humiliating defeat in the recently-concluded Assembly elections, aims to undertake a complete overhaul to plug the gaping holes in its strategy ahead of next year's general elections.
This comes against the backdrop of former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai having completed the process of seeking feedback from former ministers and senior party leaders who lost the elections.
There is widespread speculation over the heads that may roll in the party following the dismal performance in the elections.
Big names likely to face the axe
One of the first persons who is likely to be shown the door is state unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel, who term has ended. Kateel, who has not been given an extension, is likely to be replaced by a fresh face with mass appeal and Union minister Shobha Karandlaje, a close confidant of former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, and national general secretary CT Ravi are said to be the frontrunners for the post.
Former transport minister and ST strongman B Sriramulu, who lost at the hustings, is also expected to be accommodated in a senior position.
The BJP is also expected to overhaul the entire state unit, with the tenures of most office-bearers set to end by June.
BJP set to appoint new state president, LOP
Union minister Pralhad Joshi was quoted in the media as saying that the party’s national leadership will decide on the leader of the opposition and appoint a new state BJP president.
The party is already reviewing the poll losses and will soon identify the reasons behind the debacle, Joshi said. “While this will be an ongoing exercise, our next big task is to prepare for the 2024 parliamentary elections and we will start our preparations shortly,” he said.
Elections for the Parliament and the Assemblies are based on two different scenarios, the Union minister said. “People have already appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s schemes and reaffirmed their faith in the Centre. If you recall the 2019 general elections, we lost three key states — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh — in December 2018, but (months later) swept all three states, including all 11 seats in Chhattisgarh,” he said.
On whether the loss in Karnataka was because of BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh, who was instrumental in framing the party’s campaign strategy, Joshi said it was a collective loss and cannot be attributed to the failure of any one person.
