Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: BJP tripped over many a misstep

Knives are out in the BJP after facing a humiliating defeat, which calls for a major overhaul of the party in Karnataka, where it must now gear up to face the Lok Sabha polls.

Broadly, there are five follies the BJP committed, starting from the removal of Lingayat strongman B S Yediyurappa as chief minister in July 2021.

The BJP felt the lack of a mass leader in Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, whose tenure was marked by lacklustre administration, coupled with polarising issues such as Hijab, Halal, loudspeakers and so on. While Bommai tried to make welfare his plank, he simply did not have enough time to fire on all cylinders.

Check latest updates on Karnataka elections here

Candidate selection

BJP leader G Madhusudhan told DH that the party’s candidate selection policy and failure in tackling ‘40% commission’ allegation of the Congress were largely responsible for the party’s sub-par performance.

‘PayCM’ not countered

“Bommai should have acted quickly against the Congress as soon as the ‘PayCM’ was launched. He gave enough time for the campaign to percolate,” he observed.

He said ticket distribution was “a big mess” as it created more enemies than friends. “Central leaders will definitely take note of this and initiate appropriate action against whoever was responsible,” Madhusudhan said.

It is widely believed that BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh had a big say in finalising tickets. Not just that, Santhosh has been seen as “interfering” in the party’s affairs in the state.

The BJP seems to have paid a huge price for its over-dependence on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its campaign. In fact, Yediyurappa’s had warned his party colleagues that “Modi alone cannot save them”.

The BJP’s troubles started after Yediyurappa’s removal as CM. The veteran’s exit forced the BJP to double down on its dependence on the Lingayat community, which gave Congress an opportunity to make inroads.

Although Bommai tried to shed the Yediyurappa baggage, it was too late for his community to accept him as their leader.

The CM also failed to give a confidence-inspiring administration. His government’s reservation policies for SC/STs, Vokkaligas and Lingayats did not percolate to the grassroots.