BJP falls again on Yediyurappa, makes him ‘mascot’ for Assembly polls

By PTI

BENGALURU: The BJP appears to be falling again on its seasoned oarsman BS Yediyurappa making him a key ballot mascot, together with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, because it shores up its marketing campaign in poll-bound Karnataka.

The octogenarian, who has already introduced his retirement from electoral politics, is sought to be placed on the pedestal by the governing get together’s central leaders.

The causes will not be far to hunt as to why Yediyurappa has been pushed to the highest of the marketing campaign plank, the four-time Chief Minister, who constructed the get together from the grassroots degree, has a mass attraction and join — significantly the politically influential Lingayat group — that no different get together chief within the State instructions.

It’s now fairly evident from the BJP’s marketing campaign narrative that the get together is banking on the “Yediyurappa factor” and placing him up because the “poster boy” by leveraging his clout to the hilt.

The BJP central management — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, get together President J P Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh — have been lavish of their reward of Yediyurappa, throughout their public conferences within the State in latest days.

It’s not usually that in PM’s programme, another person hogs the limelight, however on one such event on February 27, at a public assembly in Shivamogga, it appeared that Modi himself was giving the Karnataka BJP strongman a “pride of place” in his “Karma Bhoomi”.

The latest public assembly marking the inauguration of the Shivamogga airport, coinciding with Yediyurappa’s eightieth birthday, noticed Modi terming his contributions to public life ‘inspirational.’

The PM felicitated him on stage as he made an attraction to the folks attending the general public assembly to flash their cell phone lights in a gesture of honour to Yediyurappa and there was an enthusiastic response from the massive gathering.

Then, because the Lingayat strongman concluded his speech, Modi stood up and applauded him.

The PM has additionally made it some extent repeatedly to focus on the final speech delivered by Yediyurappa within the Karnataka meeting not too long ago, and mentioned it was an inspiration to each particular person in public life.

Amit Shah too at a public assembly not too long ago urged the folks to repose religion in Modi and Yediyurappa and vote the BJP again to energy within the State. Similar feedback have been made by Nadda and Rajnath Singh, who had been not too long ago within the state for campaigning.

According to some political observers and BJP insiders, the get together’s transfer to challenge Yediyurappa appears to be geared toward blunting anti-incumbency, preserving the Lingayat vote base intact and countering the opposition Congress, which has levelled allegations of corruption towards the federal government.

Political analyst A Narayana from the Azim Premji University mentioned the BJP was initially getting ready to face elections with out Yediyurappa in an energetic function however “as there was not much for the party to count on locally, it was inevitable for them to repackage and present him”.

That’s the explanation they’re going out of their strategy to show that they haven’t offended him by asking to resign as Chief Minister in 2021, he mentioned.

ALSO READ| Decision to withdraw from electoral politics my very own: Former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa

“They (BJP) tried their best to secure Lingayat support without Yediyurappa, but they are not very confident about it, that’s the reason they are doing it. They could have afforded to lose some Lingayat support, provided they were confident about cultivating support from some other communities, which also they don’t seem to be very confident about,” Narayana mentioned.

Yediyurappa resigned as CM on July 26, 2021.

Age was seen as a major issue for his exit from the highest job, with an unwritten rule within the BJP of preserving out these above 75 years from elected places of work.

Also, the BJP central management wished to make means for brand spanking new management forward of the Assembly polls.

Unlike the 2018 ballot marketing campaign, when Yediyurappa was the CM candidate and face of the get together, the BJP this time has opted for a collective method, although it initially tried to challenge Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s management.

Narayana mentioned: “BJP tried to win over Lingayats through Bommai, but they don’t seem to be confident about having achieved that, with all the discontent brewing on issues such as reservation.”

“Also as long as Yediyurappa is there and as long as he is an unhappy man, it is not possible for another Lingayat leader to cultivate Lingayat support”, he mentioned, including that that is fairly clearly one of many the reason why BJP desires to maintain Yediyrappa in good spirits.

With the get together now placing Yediyurappa within the forefront of the marketing campaign, Bommai’s stake appears to have weakened, based on ballot observers and a few throughout the BJP, whilst a piece throughout the get together credit him for pro-people schemes, reservation hike for SC/ST and for presenting an all-inclusive price range.

According to a different get together functionary, retaining the Lingayat vote base, regardless of Yediyurappa not being its CM face, is essential for the BJP to win the election with an absolute majority, and that is the explanation why the get together desires to guarantee the dominant group, that he’s nonetheless related to it.

He additionally pointed to disgruntlement amongst a piece of the Lingayat group, particularly the ‘Panchamasali Lingayats’ on the problem of reservation, and mentioned it might pose a risk, and it must be mitigated instantly.

“It has to be communicated effectively that along with being the BJP’s top Parliamentary Board member, Yediyurappa is still the party’s face or mascot in Karnataka,” he mentioned.

BJP State General Secretary N Ravi Kumar mentioned Yediyurappa is a giant mass chief in Karnataka and he’s somebody who constructed and nurtured the get together within the state.

“He is a four-time CM and two-time Leader of Opposition, he knows nook and corner of the state, he is the leader of all communities including Lingayats, and people from all sections respect him. He is naturally projected as one of the faces, what is wrong?” Ravi Kumar requested.

“There may be some amount of anti-incumbency, I’m not totally rejecting it, all governments will have it, but Bommai has given a good budget and has given good programmes. It is the creation of Congress, why didn’t they speak positively about Yediyurappa so far and are doing it now? it is because Congress’ strategy is to attract positive public opinion about Yediyurappa in their favour,” he mentioned.

Yediyurappa too on his half had not too long ago appealed to the dominant Veerashaiva-Lingayat group, to which he belongs, to proceed their assist to the ruling BJP within the upcoming Assembly polls, and guarantee its victory within the State.

This assertion has come amid makes an attempt by the opposition Congress and JD(S) to challenge that Yediyurappa is being sidelined by the BJP, as they sought to woo the numerically and politically dominant group.

Veerashaiva-Lingayats are estimated to type about 17 per cent of the State’s inhabitants, and so they type the BJP’s sturdy vote base.

Yediyurappa is taken into account to be the “tallest” Veerashaiva-Lingayat chief and continues to carry sway over the group. It seems that the previous CM, in return, is searching for to safe the political way forward for his sons.

While asserting that he won’t contest meeting polls, Yediyurappa in the identical breath had mentioned that he can be vacating his Shikaripura Assembly seat, from the place his youthful son and the get together’s state Vice-President B Y Vijayendra can be contesting, if the excessive command agrees.

Yediyurappa, quickly after stepping down as CM in 2021, wished to make Vijayendra Minister, by way of the MLC route however was not profitable in his makes an attempt. His elder son, B Y Raghavendra is a Member of Parliament from Shivamogga.

BENGALURU: The BJP appears to be falling again on its seasoned oarsman BS Yediyurappa making him a key ballot mascot, together with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, because it shores up its marketing campaign in poll-bound Karnataka.

The octogenarian, who has already introduced his retirement from electoral politics, is sought to be placed on the pedestal by the governing get together’s central leaders.

The causes will not be far to hunt as to why Yediyurappa has been pushed to the highest of the marketing campaign plank, the four-time Chief Minister, who constructed the get together from the grassroots degree, has a mass attraction and join — significantly the politically influential Lingayat group — that no different get together chief within the State instructions.googletag.cmd.push(operate() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );

It’s now fairly evident from the BJP’s marketing campaign narrative that the get together is banking on the “Yediyurappa factor” and placing him up because the “poster boy” by leveraging his clout to the hilt.

The BJP central management — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, get together President J P Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh — have been lavish of their reward of Yediyurappa, throughout their public conferences within the State in latest days.

It’s not usually that in PM’s programme, another person hogs the limelight, however on one such event on February 27, at a public assembly in Shivamogga, it appeared that Modi himself was giving the Karnataka BJP strongman a “pride of place” in his “Karma Bhoomi”.

The latest public assembly marking the inauguration of the Shivamogga airport, coinciding with Yediyurappa’s eightieth birthday, noticed Modi terming his contributions to public life ‘inspirational.’

The PM felicitated him on stage as he made an attraction to the folks attending the general public assembly to flash their cell phone lights in a gesture of honour to Yediyurappa and there was an enthusiastic response from the massive gathering.

Then, because the Lingayat strongman concluded his speech, Modi stood up and applauded him.

The PM has additionally made it some extent repeatedly to focus on the final speech delivered by Yediyurappa within the Karnataka meeting not too long ago, and mentioned it was an inspiration to each particular person in public life.

Amit Shah too at a public assembly not too long ago urged the folks to repose religion in Modi and Yediyurappa and vote the BJP again to energy within the State. Similar feedback have been made by Nadda and Rajnath Singh, who had been not too long ago within the state for campaigning.

According to some political observers and BJP insiders, the get together’s transfer to challenge Yediyurappa appears to be geared toward blunting anti-incumbency, preserving the Lingayat vote base intact and countering the opposition Congress, which has levelled allegations of corruption towards the federal government.

Political analyst A Narayana from the Azim Premji University mentioned the BJP was initially getting ready to face elections with out Yediyurappa in an energetic function however “as there was not much for the party to count on locally, it was inevitable for them to repackage and present him”.

That’s the explanation they’re going out of their strategy to show that they haven’t offended him by asking to resign as Chief Minister in 2021, he mentioned.

ALSO READ| Decision to withdraw from electoral politics my very own: Former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa

“They (BJP) tried their best to secure Lingayat support without Yediyurappa, but they are not very confident about it, that’s the reason they are doing it. They could have afforded to lose some Lingayat support, provided they were confident about cultivating support from some other communities, which also they don’t seem to be very confident about,” Narayana mentioned.

Yediyurappa resigned as CM on July 26, 2021.

Age was seen as a major issue for his exit from the highest job, with an unwritten rule within the BJP of preserving out these above 75 years from elected places of work.

Also, the BJP central management wished to make means for brand spanking new management forward of the Assembly polls.

Unlike the 2018 ballot marketing campaign, when Yediyurappa was the CM candidate and face of the get together, the BJP this time has opted for a collective method, although it initially tried to challenge Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s management.

Narayana mentioned: “BJP tried to win over Lingayats through Bommai, but they don’t seem to be confident about having achieved that, with all the discontent brewing on issues such as reservation.”

“Also as long as Yediyurappa is there and as long as he is an unhappy man, it is not possible for another Lingayat leader to cultivate Lingayat support”, he mentioned, including that that is fairly clearly one of many the reason why BJP desires to maintain Yediyrappa in good spirits.

With the get together now placing Yediyurappa within the forefront of the marketing campaign, Bommai’s stake appears to have weakened, based on ballot observers and a few throughout the BJP, whilst a piece throughout the get together credit him for pro-people schemes, reservation hike for SC/ST and for presenting an all-inclusive price range.

According to a different get together functionary, retaining the Lingayat vote base, regardless of Yediyurappa not being its CM face, is essential for the BJP to win the election with an absolute majority, and that is the explanation why the get together desires to guarantee the dominant group, that he’s nonetheless related to it.

He additionally pointed to disgruntlement amongst a piece of the Lingayat group, particularly the ‘Panchamasali Lingayats’ on the problem of reservation, and mentioned it might pose a risk, and it must be mitigated instantly.

“It has to be communicated effectively that along with being the BJP’s top Parliamentary Board member, Yediyurappa is still the party’s face or mascot in Karnataka,” he mentioned.

BJP State General Secretary N Ravi Kumar mentioned Yediyurappa is a giant mass chief in Karnataka and he’s somebody who constructed and nurtured the get together within the state.

“He is a four-time CM and two-time Leader of Opposition, he knows nook and corner of the state, he is the leader of all communities including Lingayats, and people from all sections respect him. He is naturally projected as one of the faces, what is wrong?” Ravi Kumar requested.

“There may be some amount of anti-incumbency, I’m not totally rejecting it, all governments will have it, but Bommai has given a good budget and has given good programmes. It is the creation of Congress, why didn’t they speak positively about Yediyurappa so far and are doing it now? it is because Congress’ strategy is to attract positive public opinion about Yediyurappa in their favour,” he mentioned.

Yediyurappa too on his half had not too long ago appealed to the dominant Veerashaiva-Lingayat group, to which he belongs, to proceed their assist to the ruling BJP within the upcoming Assembly polls, and guarantee its victory within the State.

This assertion has come amid makes an attempt by the opposition Congress and JD(S) to challenge that Yediyurappa is being sidelined by the BJP, as they sought to woo the numerically and politically dominant group.

Veerashaiva-Lingayats are estimated to type about 17 per cent of the State’s inhabitants, and so they type the BJP’s sturdy vote base.

Yediyurappa is taken into account to be the “tallest” Veerashaiva-Lingayat chief and continues to carry sway over the group. It seems that the previous CM, in return, is searching for to safe the political way forward for his sons.

While asserting that he won’t contest meeting polls, Yediyurappa in the identical breath had mentioned that he can be vacating his Shikaripura Assembly seat, from the place his youthful son and the get together’s state Vice-President B Y Vijayendra can be contesting, if the excessive command agrees.

Yediyurappa, quickly after stepping down as CM in 2021, wished to make Vijayendra Minister, by way of the MLC route however was not profitable in his makes an attempt. His elder son, B Y Raghavendra is a Member of Parliament from Shivamogga.