Karnataka Elections 2023: Who after Yediyurappa? The million-dollar question BJP has no answers to

How did BS Yediyurappa come to dominate the Karnataka BJP to such an extent that the party is just not able to overcome its dependence on him?

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) marked its entry into the Karnataka Assembly in 1983, but four decades hence, it does not boast of a strong second line of leadership capable of taking over the mantle of the outfit. Now, with state elections just round the corner, the party is forced to virtually go on its knees and beg BS Yediyurappa to once again lead the charge, after unceremoniously removing him as Chief Minister less than two years ago.

Many Missed The Bus

While Yediyurappa himself will have to take the lion’s share of blame for failing to groom a successor who could one day replace him, the high command’s attempt to project new leaders also did not bear fruit. While on the one hand, Yediyurappa did not allow them to grow beyond his shadow, these leaders too were content remaining Badshahs in their constituencies, rather than spreading their wings across the state.

They included R Ashoka and CN Ashwath Narayan (Vokkaliga), KS Eshwarappa (Kuruba), Laxman Savadi (Lingayat) and Govind Karjol (SC). who were appointed Deputy Chief Ministers. In the caste-ridden politics of Karnataka, the party hoped they would at least emerge as leaders of their own communities, but when they failed, they were all subsequently demoted or dropped.

Right from the time BJP was launched in 1980, Yediyurappa has ensured that he has no competition, quickly relegating the party’s first two presidents, AK Subbaiah and BB Shivappa to the sidelines. Similarly, when Ananth Kumar, who later became a Union Minister, nursed chief ministerial ambitions, he was told by the high command to concentrate on the Centre, leaving the affairs of the state to Yediyurappa.

Over the years, Yediyurappa not only emerged as the most powerful leader of the dominant Lingayat community to which he belongs, but also assiduously cultivated other constituencies, particularly farmers, a major vote bank.

Shobha Karandlaje's Struggles

Perhaps, the only time Yediyurappa made a genuine attempt to find a successor was when he promoted his protege, Shobha Karandlaje during his second term as CM in 2008. Karandlaje, who held the panchayat raj and energy portfolios in his ministry, made a name for her administrative skills.
But her detractors within the party bayed for her blood as she was perceived to be in complete control of the Chief Minister. As speculation grew thick that it was a matter of time before Karandlaje would step into Yediyurappa’s shoes, her rivals launched a frontal attack, forcing her to resign from the cabinet.

Her association with Yediyurappa would continue for many more years, but by the time he became the CM again in 2019, his family members had ensured that she would not have any access to him or his house. While many had written her off, Karandlaje was silently cultivating leaders at the Centre and soon went on to become the Union Minister of State for Agriculture.

Now, she is back in the thick of state politics with the party appointing her as the convenor of the election management committee, once again triggering rumours that the BJP might have a bigger role carved out for her if elected to power.

Leadership Deficit

The leadership crisis in the state BJP is such that even Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is not being projected as the party’s face in the elections because he is not considered a political heavyweight or a vote-catcher.
Party insiders also point a finger at national general secretary from Karnataka BL Santhosh for not grooming any credible leader, but instead promoting his “yes men” who have no “face or base”.

One of them is Nalin Kumar Kateel, the state BJP president, who has miserably failed in strengthening the party or in inspiring the cadre. His area of influence is confined to his own parliamentary constituency of Mangaluru and BJP insiders admit that he is incapable of ensuring the victory of a single candidate anywhere else in the state.

The same holds good for another Santhosh-appointee, Chikkamagaluru MLA CT Ravi, the second national general secretary from the state, who is more known for his vitriolic social media posts, rather than for building the party across the state or consolidating his own position in the hierarchy.

Having failed to build a strong leadership team, the BJP is now forced to pull Yediyurappa out of forced retirement and depend on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to draw votes. Not a good sign in the long run.