Call to emulate BJP’s Gujarat model of candidate selection in Karnataka raises anxiety in seniors
The Hindu
Karnataka MP Lehar Singh Siroya lays stress on “smooth generational change”
The BJP’s list of candidates for the Gujarat Assembly elections saw as many as 38 MLAs being dropped, including former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, prompting a demand from Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, Lehar Singh Siroya, that the same model be applied in Karnataka, due for polls early next year.
“What has happened in Gujarat should serve as a model in Karnataka too. Former Gujarat CM @vijayrupanibjp , former deputy CM @Nitinbhai_Patel as well as former ministers @imBhupendrasinh and @PradipsinhGuj have decided not contest Assembly polls,” tweeted Mr. Siroya, adding that it was a “commendable move” allowing a “smooth generational change”.
Read | Former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Ministers from previous Gujarat administration opt out of Assembly election
“Karnataka Assembly polls will be held in a few months from now. Senior leaders in the State should make way for younger people in the larger interest of the State and nation,” he further tweeted.
While Mr. Siroya does not hold an organisational position, the former aide of senior BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa is considered well ensconced in the small circle of those who take political calls for the party in the State. Sources say, however, that what was seamlessly done that removing Mr. Yediyurappa himself was considered a move that would make way for a “smooth generational change” but came aground when the party discovered he won’t go quietly, discomfiting the Lingayat vote bank of the party and that the party had no suitable replacement till the choice finally alighted on Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. “The return of Yediyurappa into prominence by inclusion in the Parliamentary Board of the BJP, its highest decision making body, confirms that Karnataka is not a replica of Gujarat,” said the source.
Even so, the tweets did highlight the fact that the Karnataka unit of the BJP needed a new story and narrative, facing as they are a heavy anti-incumbency, governance deficit and corruption allegations. So much has the talk escalated that former Chief Minister Jagdish Shettar, in a confidence building measure, declared in his constituency in Hubballi last week that he would be getting a ticket to contest again.
Mr. Shettar is not the only one whose name is making the rounds. Former Minister K.S. Eshwarappa who had to quit recently over allegations of abetting suicide of a government contractor due to high demands for commission (an enquiry cleared him of charges) is also in the gunsights. Names of several multiple term MLAs of advanced age, such as Mahadevappa Yadwad, 82, MLA from Ramadurg, S.A. Ravindranath, 76, representing Davangere North and C.M. Nimbannavar, 71, of Kalaghatagi are also making the rounds. The need to beat back anti-incumbency may well make the BJP take the Gujarat model of candidate selection to Karnataka.
As an individual of influence, blessed with a larger-than-life personality Lord Byron captured the imagination of many who crossed his path. Beyond his literary genius, his life was filled with intriguing stories that are often overlooked—like keeping a pet bear at university and possibly inspiring the first vampire in English literature. Dive in to uncover the fascinating facets of this enigmatic figure.