BENGALURU : With the BJP launching the process of overhauling the state unit of the party, second rung leaders are hoping the brass gives them bigger roles and responsibilities in the party’s campaign for the 2023 assembly elections.
A team of young functionaries is seeking to lead the campaign in Old Mysuru region, the Vokkaliga heartland and a bastion of Congress and JD(S). The BJP is desperate to make inroads here.
BY Vijayendra, state BJP vice-president, made this intention clear on Wednesday, when he said he wants to work in the region in next year’s elections. “I am interested in being part of the campaign if the high command gives me an opportunity,” said Vijayendra.
Vijayendra already has some experience here since a team comprising him, Hassan MLA Preetham Gowda and BJP Yuva Morcha functionaries caught the attention during the assembly bypolls in 2019. The saffron party wrested KR Pete seat in Mandya from JD(S) and BJP repeated the show a year later by winning Sira in Tumakuru, again at the exp ense of JD(S).
Functionaries claim the team has been strengthened with the inclusion of more faces from major communities. Sira MLA Rajesh Gowda (Vokkaliga), Gundlupet MLA CS Niranjan Kumar (Lingayat), Hiriyur MLA Poornima Srinivas (OBC) and Kollegal MLA N Mahesh (Dalit) have injected diversity and the team is raring to go. It only needs an opportunity.
“We are not seeking a privilege; we want to take up the challenge and prove a point,” said Preetham Gowda.
Forget its target of winning 150 seats, even for a simple majority, BJP must make considerable inroads in the Vokkaliga belt that covers 87 seats across 11 districts. BJP has never secured a majority and studies show the Old Mysuru region is its Achilles heel.
The party won 22 seats in 2018, but that’s a poor reflection of ground realities since as many as 11 seats came from Bengaluru, where its urban appeal holds sway.
While the region cumulatively has an electorate of a little over two crore, OBCs account for a staggering 50% of the vote, followed by Dalits (about 20%), and minorities (13%). But Vokkaligas hold the key since their presence in districts like Mandya and Hassan outnumber the other communities. Lingayat votes are also decisive as they are spread evenly across the constituencies.
“The key is to consolidate nonLingayat votes in these districts,” said Vijayendra. “While the Lingayat vote is considerably high in some districts, the hope is that their support for our party is intact. So, if we reach out to all other communities, we can ensure a decisive win. ”
That is easier said than done since Congress and JD(S) will not simply curl up and roll over. “The BJP will obviously try hard to make inroads, but we are up to the challenge,” said former minister and senior Congress functionary N Chaluvaray aswamy.
JD(S) to conduct rally on may 13
JD(S) will hold a public meeting on the outskirts of Bengaluru on May 13 to kickstart its campaign for the 2023 assembly polls. It will also mark the conclusion of its 'Janata Jaladhare' campaign, party functionary HD Kumaraswamy said on Thursday. The Janata Jaladhare was a statewide campaign to create awareness on water rights.
