Shikaripura MLA BY Vijayendra will officially take charge as Karnataka BJP president at the state's party headquarters on Wednesday.
File photo of BY Vijayendra. (BYVijayendra/Facebook)
Since his recent appointment as the Karnataka BJP president, first-time MLA BY Vijayendra has swiftly embarked on a series of visits to temples and residences of key party figures.
Notably, he has reached out to senior leaders, including the former national general secretary CT Ravi, who had cryptically expressed discontent over Vijayendra’s selection as the state president post.
This has sparked speculation that the newly-appointed state president is actively addressing dissent within the BJP, signalling a strategic move to foster unity.
He also said he would meet the former minister V Somanna, who has been miffed with the party high command since the BJP defeat in the 10 May Karnataka Assembly polls, and other senior leaders in the party in the coming days. Somanna has also expressed discontent over this appointment.
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, who had made a controversial statement on Vijayendra’s appointment, cleared the air and said that there was no dissent among the senior leaders over this appointment.
Meanwhile, senior Dalit leader Ramesh Jigajinagi has taken a dig at the BJP high command for neglecting Dalits for plum posts, including state president.
On the other hand, former deputy chief minister Govind Karjol, another Scheduled Caste (SC) leader, reiterated that the party would calm all the dissent in the cadre.
In the wake of the BJP high command’s recent decision to appoint Vijayendra as the state president, a notable shift in political dynamics has unfolded in the saffron cadre. He officially took charge at the state party headquarters on Wednesday, 15 November.
Particularly noteworthy is his outreach to senior leaders, including CT Ravi, who had alluded to dissatisfaction with the party’s choice for the state president position.
ಇಂದು ನಮ್ಮ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಹಿರಿಯ ನಾಯಕರು ಹಾಗೂ ಮಾಜಿ ಸಚಿವರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ಸಿ.ಟಿ.ರವಿ ಅವರನ್ನು ಭೇಟಿಯಾಗಿ ದೀಪಾವಳಿ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಕೋರಿ, ಅವರ ಸಲಹೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಮಾರ್ಗದರ್ಶನ ಕೋರಲಾಯಿತು. pic.twitter.com/5rS6nJyjQ9
— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) November 13, 2023
Even during the Karnataka Assembly polls in April-May, both leaders took potshots at each other over candidate selection. Since then, tension has been palpable between the two leaders.
Vijayendra’s initial flurry of activity has set tongues wagging, as it suggests that he is actively addressing internal dissent, hinting at a strategic manoeuvre to consolidate party unity.
On when he would meet Somanna, Vijayendra told reporters in Bengaluru on Tuesday: “There is no dissent among the senior leaders over my appointment. I will meet all the senior party leaders and take their blessings. I will take everyone into confidence and work.”
Vijayendra has already called on JD(S) supremo and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, and former chief ministers SM Krishna and Basavaraj Bommai.
However, he is to schedule a meeting with the party national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, who is said to be heading the other faction in the BJP.
On condition of anonymity, a senior BJP leader told South First: “Vijayendra will meet all the senior leaders, including BL Santhosh. His main task is to tackle with dissent within the cadre ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. He will work under the guidance of Yediyurappa, considering his experience.”
He added: “The party aims to perform well in the Lok Sabha elections. There is political engineering and a strategy behind this appointment. There is dissent among the cadre, which exists in all political parties. It will be resolved.”
Even Pralhad Joshi’s statement over Vijayendra’s appointment led to a controversy. “I happily welcome the high command’s decision. Vijayendra will remain the state president for only three years. Someone else will take the post after that. The party has decided to give leadership to the youth,” he had told reporters.
However, he later clarified that the term of the state president was three years. “I made the statement in that context. There is no dissent in the cadre over this appointment. If there is any dissent, we will resolve it.” Joshi told reporters in Hubballi on Tuesday.
Dismayed over BJP national president JP Nadda’s decision to appoint Vijayendra as the state party unit chief, BJP veteran Ramesh Jigajinagi asserted: “We are Dalits. No one has raised a hand for us in this life.”
The Vijayapura MP is a six-time parliamentarian, with three consecutive terms from the Chikkodi Lok Sabha seat and another three consecutive terms from the Vijayapura Lok Sabha seat.
Expressing displeasure, Jigajinagi told reporters in Vijayapura on Tuesday: “We are Dalits. No one raised a hand to help us. If we remain Dalits, no development will be possible. Dalits should have been appointed to the state president post.”
He added: “For the last 75 years, we have kept raising our (Dalits) hands for Gowdas and Shaukars in the Lok Sabha and the Karnataka Assembly. It is a very sad reality.”
He continued: “We have not appointed Vijayendra as the BJP state president. The elders of the party have done it for some reason. After a lot of thought, Yeddyurappa’s son has been chosen for the post. I do not have any jealousy over this.”
He also said: “I have never dreamt of being the president of the party’s state unit. Because, I know, we are Dalits and no development is possible.”
In response to the brewing dissent between two factions in the BJP’s Karnataka unit, BJP veteran and former deputy chief minister Govind Karjol said: “BS Yediyurappa has 50 years of experience in politics. He will use all his experience to resolve dissent in the cadre under the leadership of Vijayendra.”
On Vijayendra’s appointment, the senior Dalit leader told South First: “The party high command has given the right message to the party workers, especially youth, by honouring Vijayendra with the top post. The party considered various factors, including the debacle in the Karnataka Assembly polls, the opinion of the state senior leaders, and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. There is no dissent in the cadre over this appointment.”
Admitting the existence of dissent between two factions in the Karnataka BJP, Karjol said: “Yediyurappa has built this party by travelling on bicycle and organising activities at the grassroots. With his son as the state president, he will bring in his all experiences to resolve the dissent between the two factions in the cadre. The failure in political engineering during the Assembly polls led to the creation of two factions. We will resolve it.”
However, he refrained from responding to the statements issued by Jigajinagi over Vijayendra’s appointment.
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