The Karnataka BJP wants to avoid making lopsided decisions and looks at the caste matrix before choosing the Oppn leader

In the Karnataka legislative assembly, three former ministers from the previous Bharatiya Janata Party administration are vying to become the Leader of the Opposition (LoP); the BJP leadership has postponed making this selection.

for more than half a year after the party’s terrible showing in the state elections.

According to News18, the candidates for the position in the legislative assembly include former ministers V Sunil Kumar (Energy, Kannada, and Culture), R Ashok (Revenue), and Dr. CN Ashwath Narayan (former deputy chief minister).

Party sources claim that a Vokkaliga or OBC person may be chosen as the LoP to balance the caste matrix in the state now that BY Vijayendra, a Lingayat politician, has been named the BJP state president.

“The BJP is adamant on having a strong, outspoken, and non-controversial leader for the position, even if there are a few candidates floating about. A capable leader who can take on the Congress is desperately needed,” a senior BJP official said. “The party cannot be seen to be sidetracked by battling controversies in its pursuit of a landslide victory in the Lok Sabha polls.”

At the legislature party meeting in Bengaluru on November 17, the BJP is anticipated to make a definitive decision over the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka state legislative assembly.

Former Karnataka chief minister and BJP national executive member BS Yediyurappa gave an assurance that he would push the central leadership to appoint a leader of the party before the winter assembly session that is scheduled to start on December 4. This was in response to reports that some BJP MLAs were unhappy about being continuously made fun of by the ruling Congress for failing to choose a leader of the party even six months after the elections.

Sunil Kumar, the party’s OBC face, is portrayed as being from the coastal Karnataka community of Billava-Ediga. A prominent figure within the central leadership of the BJP has been endorsing the Karkala MLA, who hails from the RSS stables and is said to possess strong influence among the cadre.

Strong Vokkaliga leaders R Ashok and Ashwath Narayan are front-runners and have both held deputy chief minister positions in Karnataka.

Additionally, it has come to light that while the Karnataka Legislative Council’s leadership had offered BJP MLC Kota Srinivas Poojary (Billava-Ediga) the position of Leader of the Opposition (LoP), other state leaders had objected. Poojary, a well-known OBC politician who has held important positions as a minister of social welfare and other important ministries, is encountering resistance from party members. In the race for the position of LoP in the council is YA Narayana Swamy, a Vokkaliga and MLC chosen from the teachers’ constituency.

“The caste balance will need to be achieved by choosing a Vokkaliga for the Legislative Council if an OBC politician such as Sunil Kumar is chosen as the LoP in the legislative assembly. Narayana Swamy wants to be in that position here, according to political analyst SA Hemanth. Senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa is also advocating for the LoP designation of a Kuruba community leader in the council. This adds Raghunath Rao Malkapure, the Bidar MLC, to the controversy.

The BJP was reduced to only 65 MLAs after losing 54 seats, making it the main opposition party. The central leadership of the BJP is still not happy with the defeat, as seen by the delay in appointing people to important positions. Even after two central observers—union minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Maharashtra-based BJP leader Vinod Tawde—were sent to Karnataka in July to get the party’s top officials’ views on their preferred choices for the legislative and council’s LOP positions. The ruling is still pending, however.

According to reports, the top leadership in the five states that are headed for elections—Rishikesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, and Telangana—is reportedly still not included on the list.