Shobha Karandlaje back in limelight as BJP forms election campaign and management committees for Karnataka Assembly polls

Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje heads the poll management committee of the BJP, besides being part of the campaign committee

The ruling BJP has constituted an Election Campaign Committee, led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, and Election Management Committee, led by Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje, ahead of the Assembly elections in Karnataka.

Ms. Karandlaje appears to be back in the political limelight as she is on both the prominent committees. Former minister Arvind Limbavali and party SC Morcha president Chalavadi Narayanaswamy are the only other leaders who are on both the committees. But they will serve as members while Ms. Karandlaje heads the poll management committee.

Her elevation as chairperson of the Election Management Committee has triggered speculation of her being in the reckoning, of the BJP high command, for leadership in the State if the post-election scenario is favourable to the party.

She had started drawing attention after BJP won the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh as she was a member of a ministerial team that handled the party’s poll campaign. However, this is the first time that she has been given such a prominent responsibility in Karnataka.

The leaders close to Mr. Yediyurappa were expecting that he will be appointed chairperson of the campaign committee. However, the party high command is of the view that such a committee should be led by the Chief Minister.

The 26-member campaign committee includes former Chief Ministers B. S. Yediyurappa, D. V. Sadananda Gowda and Jagadish Shettar, party State president Nalin Kumar Kateel, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, Shobha Karandlaje and A. Narayanaswamy.

The other members are former deputy chief minister K. S. Eshwarappa and Ministers Govind Karjol, B. Sriramulu, R. Ashok, Shashikala Jolle, C. C. Patil, S. T. Somashekhar, K. Sudhakar, Prabhu Chauhan and C. N. Ashwath Narayan, party national general secretary C. T. Ravi, MPs P. C. Mohan and Srinivas Prasad, legislators Laxman Savadi and Ramesh Jarkiholi. One notable member is BJP State vice-president B. Y. Vijayendra who is the son of Mr. Yediyurappa.