Yediyurappa's son Vijayendra formally takes charge as Karnataka BJP president

Bengaluru: Newly-appointed Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra on Wednesday formally assumed charge at the party office here and set a target to win all Lok Sabha seats in the state in next year's elections.

Former Chief Ministers B S Yediyurappa, Basavaraj Bommai and D V Sadananda Gowda and senior party leaders were present on the occasion in a show of strength and unity. The 47-year-old first time MLA and son of Yediyurappa, a BJP veteran and member of the party's all-powerful Parliamentary board, was appointed to the post on November 10. In his address, Vijayendra said he would work sincerely to live up to the expectations of the party leadership. "I want to assure the party leadership and every 'Karyakarta' that I will work sincerely for the party. I have set a target of winning all 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the Parliamentary elections," he said. The target, according to him, is achievable. "When my father Yediyurappa set a goal of winning 25 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, many people laughed at it but he demonstrated it," Vijayendra pointed out.

Underlining the fact that the party was routed in the 2023 Assembly elections, Vijayendra said it is essential to win all the 28 LS seats from Karnataka to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has been toiling day and night to build a strong nation. Hitting out at the Congress government in Karnataka, he said ever since the Siddaramaiah government came to power, "not a single investment" came in the state.

The state's economy is in such a bad shape that the government is unable to carry out development works in the constituencies of Congress MLAs, let alone the opposition legislators, according to him.

On top of it, the prevailing extreme drought has further dealt a severe blow to the farmers of the state, he said. Thanking the BJP central leadership for his appointment, Vijayendra assured them that he will work hard to meet their expectations and "serve every party worker."

Vijayendra, who had earlier served as the party's state unit's general secretary and vice-president, replaced Nalin Kumar Kateel.

Kateel, a three-time Lok Sabha member from Dakshina Kannada, had completed his three-year term as the BJP state president, and was given an extension last year.

Vijayendra said earlier he has been given the responsibility as a party worker, and not just because he's the son Yediyurappa. He had said further strengthening the party organisation by taking everyone together and winning the maximum number of seats in the state in the Lok Sabha polls were the major challenges before him.