The old saying that victory has a hundred fathers, but defeat is an orphan holds good for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Karnataka unit. The party’s poor performance in the Assembly elections has deepened the internal divide. More than two months since the poll results were announced, the BJP is yet to choose the Leader of the Opposition.
The fundamental problems of the BJP’s Karnataka unit are lack of cohesion and groupism. Until the elections, the powerful central leadership had ensured that these issues were not out in the open. But the results shattered the image of the BJP central leadership as being “invincible”. When several leaders, including MLAs and MPs, publicly began blaming one another for the party’s defeat, the problem of groupism was exposed.
Embarrassed by this, the party leadership finally identified 11 leaders who were indulging in mud-slinging and entrusted party veteran B.S. Yediyurappa with the task of making them fall in line. The public smears have been contained to an extent now. However, the fact that camp feud in the party are worsening is visible in the BJP’s inordinate delay in choosing the legislature party leader, who will go on to become the Leader of the Opposition. The Budget session of the State Legislature has been held for six days so far, without a Leader of the Opposition. Meanwhile, the Congress, which has formed the government, has seized the opportunity to comment on the sorry state of affairs in the rival party.
The BJP high command deputed two central observers to elicit the views of senior leaders, MLAs and MPs on the choice of candidates for the post of the Leader of the Opposition. But though this process was completed about a week ago, the name of the leader for the post is yet to be announced.
It is not just this crucial post that is lying vacant. The term of the incumbent BJP Karnataka president, Nalin Kumar Kateel, ended in August 2022, but the party decided to keep him in the post since the Assembly elections were nearing. Months after the polls, a new president is yet to be appointed A few days ago, the party central leadership announced new party chiefs in four States, including poll-bound Telangana, but made no mention of Karnataka.
Caste considerations
Party leaders attribute the delay in appointments to both these posts to caste and community calculations. The BJP is reportedly trying to accommodate the two dominant communities of the State — Lingayats and Vokkaligas. Caste permutations apart, the party central leadership is also believed to be caught between the immediate need of taking along all the leaders ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the need of building a strong leadership and organisation for the future.
Though the party central leadership hinted at building new leadership when it replaced the ageing and politically influential B.S. Yediyurappa with Basavaraj Bommai as Chief Minister two years ago, it still had to depend heavily on Mr. Yediyurappa for its poll campaign in Lingayat-dominant areas. It had to face the wrath of the Lingayats for this decision. Though Mr. Bommai is also from the same community, the Lingayats saw the change as an insult to Mr. Yediyurappa, who wields enormous power and enjoys substantial influence in the community.
The party’s keenness to build new leadership in its long-term interests could also be hindered for the time being by the Lok Sabha elections. It seems doubtful that the BJP would take up such an experiment with respect to both these posts less than a year before the polls. Already, one of its experiments during the Assembly elections backfired — the BJP went to the polls without a strong State leader hoping that it could bank on the central leadership. But the results showed that a strong regional face is important to reach out to the people and earn their trust.
Whatever may be the political reasons, the delay in the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition has left the party State unit red-faced. It has affected the BJP’s morale, which has already been low due to the poll debacle. There is also concern among party State leaders and cadres that the delay in these appointments may come in the way of the BJP’s preparation for the Lok Sabha polls and in its efforts towards resurgence.
