Shed caste mindset, target LS poll win: B Y Vijayendra

Seeking party workers’ support to ensure the BJP wins all 28 Lok Sabha seats next year, B Y Vijayendra, the newly appointed president of the BJP’s state unit on Wednesday appealed to everyone in the organisation to shun caste affiliations and instead work like a “common party worker” to ensure its victory in all polls leading to the next Assembly elections.

After taking charge of the state BJP in the presence of his father and BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa and senior leaders K S Eshwarappa, D H Shankarmurhty and his predecessor Nalin Kumar Kateel at the state party headquarters, Vijayendra said, “We have to set the target of winning all 28 Lok Sabha seats, which is not difficult since we won 25 seats in the last Lok Sabha polls. We only have to think like common party workers and not like caste-based leaders.”

Obliquely underling the differences in the party over his elevation, the Shikaripur MLA said he had made “sincere efforts” to speak to senior leaders to seek their blessings to take the party to new heights.

“With a belief that ‘leadership is responsibility, not authority’, my every footstep as a humble karyakartha would be towards fulfilling the central leadership’s expectations and the karyakartas’ trust,” he said.

“It brings me great enthusiasm to see that every senior leader is stepping forward to shoulder the task of strengthening the party,” he said.

Vijayendra further asserted that it will be his endeavour to re-energise the party from the grassroots level to repeat the grand success of 2019 in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “It is my combined resolve along with our determined karyakartas to contribute to the reelection of Modi ji as Prime Minister again for a vibrant and vivacious Bharath,” he posted on X.

Accusing the ruling Congress of large-scale corruption in the state, he alleged that Congress MLAs themselves were facing embarrassment over Chief Minister Siddaramaiah not releasing any grants to them. It is only a matter of time before the Congress government collapses on its own, he said.

He further alleged that the Congress government has ruined the state’s economy and neglected all constituencies. “Despite the extreme drought that has affected farmers badly, the government has failed to make any tangible contributions to alleviate the agony of farmers in the state,” Vijayendra accused.

He also stressed that his priority is not only to ensure the party victory in Lok Sabha but also to strive hard for the success of the party in all types of local body elections such as Taluk and Zilla Panchayat polls as well as in forthcoming Assembly polls in the state.