With an eye on 2018 assembly elections, Karnataka BJP president BS Yeddyurappa on Thursday announced his new team. Out of the 40 members in the team, only 4 belong to Lingayat community, and they will have to steer the party to the top in the next 18 months.

Yeddyurappa said that the main criteria in choosing the office bearers is based on their ability to galvanise the party cadres to make them battle-fit and chalk out agitations against the state government’s anti-people policies .

According to The Times of India report, Yeddyurappa reportedly did not consult party core committee leaders and unilaterally took a decision on the appointments.

While Yeddyurappa has ensured the exit of organizing secretary Santhosh and his loyalists like Raghunath Malkapure and Somanna Bevinamarada, he has considered caste, region and the popularity of leaders while appointing office bearers.

Hence,he has given a chance to new faces, young leaders and also new entrants, who have shifted to the BJP from the Congress and Janatha Parivar.

Lok Sabha member Shobha Karandlaje, former ministers C T Ravi, Aravind Limbavali and Mysuru MP Prathap Simha figure in the top positions in the new team of state office-bearers

RSS pracharak from Hubballi Arun Kumar has been appointed as the organizing secretary.

Former minister Suresh Kumar and MLC G. Madhusudhan were appointed party spokespersons.