There are several rumours of rising discontent among BJP officials in Karnataka, and there is no discernible sign that the party has a plan in place to keep its members in the face of the Congress scooping local leaders from BJP and the JDS. According to BJP sources, second and third-line leaders in particular feel “orphaned” as a result of the void in the BJP hierarchy and the uncertainty surrounding the state leadership in both the legislature and the state unit.
According to reports, “The Congress may find it easier to lure away such leaders, as the BJP delayed local body elections when it was in office, denying party workers a shot at power.” 31 zilla panchayat elections are still pending in the state right now. The state’s capital, Bengaluru, postponed elections for civic bodies for three years.
With promises of tickets and reservations, the Congress has filled the BJP’s gaps and attracted local politicians eager for office. Since it was able to convince Lingayat heavyweights Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi to switch sides before the assembly elections, the party has found a way to gain favour with top BJP officials.
Rumors are also circulating that the party is chasing a few JDS MLAs it had targeted before the assembly elections themselves, but their plans fell through. The regional party lost badly, falling from 37 seats in 2018 to only 19 seats in the assembly elections on May 10.
Some AICC members are also concentrating on a “ghar wapsi” for the 17 MLAs from the Congress and the JDS who defected to the BJP in 2019 to destabilise the coalition government. The “Bombay Boys,” so-called because the BJP secluded them in Mumbai during the defection, had resigned and ran in the by-elections on a BJP platform, winning them in what became known as Operation Lotus.
BJP members are confident that BS Yediyurappa, the tallest Lingayat leader in the party, can halt the impending exodus. “Out of 65 MLAs, about 35 to 37 are in the Yediyurappa camp. He may be able to influence them,” according to party insiders.
By the end of November or the first week of December of this year, according to insiders, the Congress will welcome a sizable number of figures from the Opposition into its fold. Rahul Gandhi reportedly gave the state’s Congress leaders a goal of winning 20 of the state’s 28 seats in the next elections in Karnataka. Top state officials are believed to have been motivated by this to strengthen the party and secure a string of victories ahead of the general election.
