Karnataka BJP gets new team, CM B S Yediyurappa's son is now Vice President

In a major organisational exercise, BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel appointed new office-bearers on Friday, which included Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa’s son B Y Vijayendra as one among the party’s 10 vice-presidents.

The list of 30 office-bearers retained some old faces while accommodating several new ones. The new team comprises leaders from all factions within the BJP, while also ensuring caste balance. Earlier, the state unit had 45 office- bearers.

According to sources, Vijayendra was keen on being a general secretary, but his role has been limited to that of a vice president. The post of a general secretary usually comes with decision-making, while a vice president is seen as an ornamental position.

Vijayendra, Yediyurappa’s younger son, had been pushing to get a position in the party’s state unit. He was the BJP Yuva Morcha general secretary. In a tweet, Vijayendra thanked BJP national president JP Nadda, national general secretary (organisation) B L Santosh, Kateel and Yediyurappa for being made vice president, adding that he will work hard to further strengthen the party.

The party’s Udupi-Chikmagalur MP Shobha Karandlaje and MLA Aravind Limbavali, who were general secretaries, have been elevated as vice presidents. The inclusion of Limbavali has cast a cloud of doubt over his inclusion in the Cabinet, thanks to the ‘one person, one post’ policy. Limbavali is said to have been sulking for not being inducted into the Cabinet.

The other vice-presidents are Nirmal Kumar Surana, Malikayya Guttedar, Tejaswini Ananthkumar, Mysore-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha among others.

Siddaraju from Mysuru and Ashwathnarayan, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha poll from Bangalore Rural constituency, are now general secretaries. Two others, N Ravi Kumar and Mahesh Tenginakayi, are retained.

BJP candidate from Rajarajeshwari Nagar Tulasi Muniraju Gowda, who is involved in a legal battle against disqualified MLA Muniratna is among the 10 secretaries of the state unit.

MPs Eranna Kadadi and Ashok Gasti, who were nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka recently, will head Raitha Morcha and Backward Classes Morcha, respectively. Dr Sandeep will head the BJP Yuva Morcha, Geetha Vivekananda Mahila Morcha, Chaluvadi Narayanswamy SC Morcha, Thipparaju Havaldar ST Morcha and Muzammil Babu will head Minority Morcha.