Over the last few days, national leaders of the BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have been making efforts to ensure that former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa remains placated. In the run up to the Karnataka Assembly elections, there have been many public displays of camaraderie. A case in point is the apparent bonhomie between PM Modi and Yediyurappa at the inauguration of the Shivamogga airport. But CT Ravi, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national general secretary, has been making statements deemed to undermine Yediyurappa and his family.
Yediyurappa had publicly announced in July 2022 that his son BY Vijayendra would contest the Assembly election from Shikaripura, a seat that Yediyurappa himself has won eight times. The seat is considered the family’s bastion, and party leaders were not particularly surprised that when Yediyurappa vacated it, it would be passed on to his son. CT Ravi has now contradicted this stand in public.
To put things in context, Ravi recently told the media that the selection of BJP’s candidate from Shikaripura will be done by the party high command and the parliamentary board. Incidentally, Yediyurappa is a member of the board too. However, Ravi did not stop at that. He said that these decisions are not to be taken by Yediyurappa by himself, and went on to add that party decisions do not take place in someone’s “kitchen.”
While most BJP leaders agree that it would be difficult for any other candidate to win the seat without the blessings of Yediyurappa, what made Ravi take such a confrontational tone?
Party insiders say that the battle is not about Shikaripura, but a proxy war to wrest influence over the BJP in Karnataka. They say that this is a multi-pronged fight, with Ravi being chosen as the person who takes on the battle in public this time. A section in the party does not want to create another leader of the Lingayat community in the form of Vijayendra, who could use the clout to dictate terms to the party, they said.
Vijayendra has been given the responsibility of holding conventions with all BJP Morchas including SC/ST, Yuva, Kisan, Mahila and Minority. This places him in a good position to interact with voters and leaders from across the state and foster their support. In addition to his father’s sway, this will give him a chance to bolster his image in the party.
Despite the presence of several Lingayat leaders in the party, including Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, the BJP has not managed to completely loosen Yediyurappa’s hold. And there is a fear among a few leaders in the party that Vijayendra could be seen as his father’s successor.
CT Ravi and Vijeyandra are also fighting over the Old Mysore region. In 2019, Vijayendra had led the party’s campaign in the KR Pete bye-election and has been pushing for credit for the party winning the seat, one of its first in the region. Since then, he has been working in the area to cultivate a presence for the BJP. CT Ravi too wants to be seen as leading the party’s efforts in the region. Ravi is a Vokkaliga, the same community that dominates most constituencies in Old Mysore. Vijayendra, who is heading BJP’s Yuva Morcha conventions, recently chose to flag off a rally from Mandya. CT Ravi too was present at the rally. The national BJP leaders have been making very clear efforts to capture the Old Mysore region, and this list includes PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party national president JP Nadda.
Ravi is seen as BL Santhosh’s man in Karnataka. Santhosh is BJP’s national general secretary for organisation, and has been considered Yediyurappa’s rival for a long time. So, Ravi’s public tirade is seen by many as a move made at Santhosh’s behest.
Then there is the Somanna factor. V Somanna is a Minister in the Bommai Cabinet who was brought from Congress to BJP by Yediyurappa in 2008. Like Yediyurappa, Somanna too belongs to the Lingayat community. And like Yediyurappa, he too wants to cement his son’s political career. So if Vijayendra becomes the next big leader from the community, there will be no space for Somanna and his son Arun. Anxious about this, Somanna has been lashing out at Yediyurappa. His son Arun too recently claimed that Vijeyendra had abused him.
The distribution of tickets to contest the Assembly polls will give the final indication on whose supremacy has prevailed.