BJP’s worst ever defeat in Karnataka in the last two decades has not deterred its confidence in the “clean” outgoing Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar. Top party leaders indicated that Shettar, who belongs to the powerful lingayat community, may continue to remain the face of the party in the Southern State unless there is some ‘big change’. The party also does not see any immediate possibility of BS Yeddyurappa’s return to the party fold.
BJP’s parliamentary board member, who took stock of the result in a meeting here, conceded that ouster of Yeddyurappa, coupled with political instability and image problem, did the party in. They admitted that BSY ate into BJP’s lingayat vote bank extensively, but his march was restricted with BJP’s decision to clearly project Shettar as the CM-candidate.
“Division of our vote base has affected us as also the image of a lack of unity within the party in Karnataka. Also, the fact that some of our leaders walked out of the party and some formed another party,” BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said.
Another member of the parliamentary board claimed without Shettar’s projection, the BJP would have 25-odd seats and BSY would have been close to the BJP’s tally. “We managed to arrest the slide in Mumbai-Karnataka and Hyderabad Karnataka region despite sizeable lingayat presence and BSY’s influence over the region. Some close confidants who chose to stay back in the BJP also helped us,” he said.
With national elections less than a year from now, BJP leaders claim continuing with Shettar as the leader there was the only option that the party was left with. “We have to regain ground in the coastal belt, a traditional stronghold region of the BJP. We hope Shettar would wean away lingayat votes from BSY as time passes by. Without a party structure and cadre, even BSY would not be able to hold on to this vote bank for long,” BJP leaders claimed.
Naidu said the party will do a thorough analysis and take corrective steps. “We need to draw lessons and review the election results,” Naidu said. Asked if BJP would now try to court Yeddyurappa and bring him back to the party or to NDA-fold, Naidu said there is no such proposal at the moment.
“The decision that we took at that time (to remove Yeddyurappa) was taken after careful thought. We took a principled stand and had to bear the consequences for it. We do not repent it,” Naidu said.
He maintained it was an “inevitable step” after the findings of the lokayukta. “We have taken a moral stand. BJP always takes a principled stand on larger issues of probity in public life. There is no such proposal to bring anybody back,” he said.