BJP internal meet discusses masterplan for Karnataka elections

In an internal meeting held earlier this week, senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party took stock of the party’s preparations in the upcoming elections in Karnataka, with a key part of the discussion focussing on how should the party strategise about winning votes within the Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities, how the party should work to win votes in the Old Mysore region, and whether they should continue with Nalin Kateel as the state president as his tenure comes to an end. The party also discussed the effect of a resurgent Congress as Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra drew unexpected crowds in the state.

With the elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh done and dusted, the BJP turned its focus on its electoral positions in the upcoming elections, and on Tuesday, held meetings to assess the party’s situation in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura. Party president JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, party’s incharges and co-incharges, as well as sangathan mantris (general secretaries organisation) were present in these meetings.

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In the meeting for Karnataka, party leaders noted and analysed BJP’s prospects in the face of a resurgent Congress, buoyed by the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, which spent over three weeks in Karnataka and drew unexpected crowds. Leaders said that the optics of both former chief minister Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar coming together with Gandhi during his rally, burying their differences has sent out a message of an united front, and not a divided house.

Discussions in the meeting also centred around how the BJP should work around the Vokkaliga as well as Lingayat communities, as the support of both or either are crucial for any party to win in the state. The Janata Dal (Secular) holds sway among the Vokkaligas, especially in the Old Mysore region where the BJP did not fare well in the last elections in 2018. The party is keen on the continued support of the Lingayat community. According to sources, the top leadership had consciously picked BS Yediyurappa to be sent to Gujarat as one of its three central observers after its electoral win.

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A critical point that has emerged from the meeting is that the BJP should keep a close watch on the JD(S) in the run-up to the polls. Incidentally, on the day of the meeting, former PM and JD(S) patriarch HD Deve Gowda met Prime Minister Modi to bring to his notice the injustice meted out to Karnataka in inter-state water disputes, among other issues.

In 2018, the JD(S) had led the way in the Mysuru region, which has a significant Vokkaliga population, hurting Congress more than the BJP. According to sources, the BJP leadership discussed the role of the JD(S) in pre-poll and post-poll scenarios. In 2018, the majority mark of 113 seats eluded the BJP, as it stopped at 104 seats. Subsequently, the JD(S) and Congress formed an HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition government. However, in the run-up to the 2018 polls, Rahul Gandhi had called JD(S) the “B team” of the BJP, a remark that HD Deve Gowda had resented.

Discussions were held on the state party president, with Nalin Kumar Kateel’s tenure coming to an end soon; leaders discussed whether they should continue with him as the head of the state unit, or change keeping in mind caste equations.

The BJP has taken out Karnataka Jan Samvad rallies in the last few years, as well as the Centre's move to increase the state's quota in educational institutions and government jobs for Scheduled Castes from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and for Scheduled Tribes from 3 per cent to 7 per cent are part of the steps they have taken to woo the electorate, said party MP CT Ravi.

“Several of our development projects have been received well by the people across various constituencies. And, if you look at the Congress, they now have three camps instead of two – there's now a Kharge camp in addition to the camps of former CM Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar,” said Ravi.