BJP's Division in Karnataka Persists Despite Assembly Poll Drubbing

Even after the Assembly elections defeat and losing its support in South India before the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in 2024, the Karnataka BJP remains divided. The party leadership is struggling to unite its members and motivate them to overcome challenges. The BJP, which once seemed poised to gain strength in the region and expand into other South Indian states, has suffered a major setback and is waiting for a breakthrough. It has been nearly a month since the election results were announced on May 14, but the BJP has yet to appoint a Leader of the Opposition in the legislative assembly and council. Statements from former Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda and national general secretary C.T. Ravi have further hampered the party's progress. C.T. Ravi, who faced defeat against his former ally HD Thammaiah, now a Congress candidate in Chikkamagalur constituency, claimed that there are internal power struggles within the BJP, which led to their defeat in the assembly polls. He stated, "We lost power due to our mistakes. Some leaders compromised, resulting in the party's loss. I won't name the leaders, but internal power struggles exist and they caused our defeat." Sources suggest that C.T. Ravi's outbursts were targeted at former CM B.S. Yediyurappa and his son B.Y. Vijayendra. Former CM D.V. Sadananda Gowda's statements further demoralized the party members, indicating internal issues. He claimed that 13 MPs among the total of 25 were being maligned, and he found the party high command's silence on the matter puzzling. Sadananda Gowda stated that there is an orchestrated attempt to undermine the credibility of these 13 MPs, with rumors spreading that they haven't done any development work in their constituencies and some are unwell and will not be given tickets in the upcoming elections. He demanded intervention from state and national leaders to address the confusion. With a year remaining until the Lok Sabha elections, MPs are being targeted and maligned, causing concerns. Sadananda Gowda called for introspection regarding the defeat. The BJP recently held a meeting with its legislators and defeated candidates, who questioned the party's decision to allocate tickets late and send wrong signals to the voters. However, the scheduled core committee meeting has been postponed. Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh has sought opinions from various leaders, and the party is awaiting direction from the high command. Meanwhile, the Congress is gaining ground in the state, implementing its first guarantee scheme of free bus travel for women. The party is actively preparing for the Bengaluru civic polls and upcoming Lok Sabha elections, aiming to challenge the ideologies of the BJP and RSS. The high command is working to maintain harmony between CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, creating a formidable combination against the BJP. Sources within the BJP claim that the party is not seriously addressing the reasons behind the defeat of 54 sitting MLAs, including ministers. The strategy of fielding 72 new candidates has backfired, with over 40 of them losing their deposits. Party leaders are trying to put up a brave front by highlighting the percentage of votes received.