BJP appoints Bommai as chairman of election campaign committee

BJP national president JP Nadda on Friday appointed Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai as chairperson of a 25-member election campaign committee for the upcoming Assembly polls.

Nadda also approved a 14-member election management committee that will be headed by Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje, making this her first active role in the affairs of the BJP in the state since her election to Lok Sabha in 2014.

There are many takeaways from the constitution of the two committees. Chief among them is the BJP’s effort to connect with the two dominant communities - the Lingayats and Vokkaligas.

BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa, arguably the tallest Lingayat leader for the party, has found a place in the election campaign committee along with his son and party vice-president BY Vijayendra.

Also Read — No precedent of giving tickets to all sitting MLAs: Bommai

This is seen as Yediyurappa upper hand at a time when BJP leaders have made it clear that the Lingayat strongman is crucial for the party to retain hold on Karnataka, the lone southern state where it is in power. Also, it is no secret that Yediyurappa wants to ensure the growth of Vijayendra, his political heir.

Karandlaje is a Vokkaliga. As convenor of the election management committee, she will have a crucial role as 20 sub-committees are likely to be constituted to implement the party’s poll offensive, sources said. Karandlaje is a warhorse who comes from the RSS’ stable.

Senior BJP leader Ganesh Karnik expressed happiness over Karandlaje’s new role. He told DH that her past work at the grassroots level and her familiarity with the state and organisation as party general secretary could have helped her get the new job. “It makes me very happy to see a leader like her getting the due, which is what sets BJP apart from other parties,” he said.

For Bommai, this is a huge opportunity to lead from the front with the party central leadership making him in charge of the campaign committee. Bommai comes from Kittur Karnataka and is a Sadar-Lingayat, which is said to be a decisive grouping in at least three districts of that region.

The BJP has tried to give space to include all important leaders such as former ministers Ramesh Jarkiholi. BJP vice-president Tejaswini Ananthkumar has been roped in for the election management committee under Karandlaje.