BJP’s defeat in Karnataka has given much food for thought for the party’s national leadership, including the treatment of regional satraps in the poll-going States of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
The resignation of former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa from the post and the subsequent alienation of the Lingayat community, the bedrock of the party’s base in Karnataka, is being seen as one of the main reasons for its defeat and the rather disappointing tally.
In this scenario there are many within the party who want to pause and do a rethink on the leadership situation in the States of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the incumbent, and the next election will be fought on his record. There have been attempts to reinvent his image and the BJP’s central leadership is invested in reviving the party cadre which is suffering from a lot of poll fatigue already. Sources in the party say newer welfare programmes and outreach about them are being done to bolster its chances and to combat the anti-incumbency attached to a four-term Chief Ministership.
