BJP rejigs district chiefs ahead of LS polls; 30 new faces on list
According to the appointment orders issued by the BJP, only nine incumbents were retained, entrusting fresh faces with the remaining positions.
Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party president BY Vijayendra has announced major changes in the party’s organisational structure in the state with the appointment of 39 district presidents ahead of Lok Sabha elections, a move that comes three weeks after a reshuffle of top functionaries of the party.
According the appointment orders issued by the BJP, only nine incumbents were retained, entrusting fresh faces with the responsibility of the remaining positions.
“With an ambitious vision, Vijayendra has gone ahead with a transformation by replacing over 75% of the party’s district heads. The idea is to bring young leaders at the party’s grassroots level,” said a senior party leader familiar with the development.
The restructuring at the district level assumes importance given the BJP’s thrust on booth-level support mobilisation for elections, the party leader said, wishing not to be named.
In 2019, the BJP won 25 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. The party has geared up to repeat the performance despite losing assembly poll, party leaders familiar with the matter said.
The reshuffle is notable for its inclusion of new faces, as several Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and former MLAs make way for emerging leaders. Among the appointees, only two MLAs have found a place in the list of district presidents -- CK Ramamurthy of Jayanagar and Dr Shivaraj Patil from Raichur.
Further diversifying the leadership cadre, three former MLAs—L Nagendra, CS Niranjan Kumar, and Arun Kumar Pujar—have been named district presidents in their areas.
The state BJP past presidents in key districts, including Chitradurga, Chikkaballapura, Vijayapura, Tumakuru, Shivamogga, Bagalkot, Kalaburagi Rural, Vijayanagar, and Kolar.
“This is a forward-looking approach of the BJP leadership. This has ensured a continuity amid change, “ a senior party leader said, wishing anonymity.
Among the notable appointments are Thippanna Majjagi as the president of the Hubballi-Dharwad unit, Ningappa Suttagatti in Dharwad Rural, Sathish Kumpala in Dakshina Kannada, and Devaraj Shetty in Chikkamagaluru. Former deputy mayor of Bengaluru, S Harish, has been entrusted with the presidency of Bengaluru North, while BJP’s Gandhi Nagar assembly constituency candidate, Sapthagiri Gowda, assumes the role of Bengaluru Central president.
“With an eye on replicating its stellar performance in the 2019 elections, where the BJP secured 25 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats, the party is gearing up for an increased seat share through strategic alliances, including one with the JD(S),” the party leader quoted above said.
On December 25, the party had announced a list of key positions, including 10 state vice-presidents, 10 state secretaries, four general secretaries, and chiefs for various morchas.
Former minister Murugesh Nirani, a prominent Panchamasali Lingayat leader from North Karnataka, emerged as a significant figure among the 10 state vice-presidents. The move is a counteraction to Vijayapura MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, a vocal critic of the BJP’s national leadership and the appointment of Vijayendra as the state president last month, a senior BJP leader had said.
In a bid to accommodate diverse factions within the party, several leaders associated with the BS Yediyurappa camp found a place, while detractors such as Yatnal and V Somanna were absent from the list. The state general secretaries include former minister V Sunil Kumar, who is considered close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), along with P Rajeev, NS Nandeesh Reddy, and Preetham Gowda.
The roster of 10 state secretaries introduced young and fresh faces like Shailendra Hebbale, DS Arun, Basavaraju Mathimod, C Muniraju, Vinay Bidare, Captain Brijesh Chouta, Sharanu Thallikeri, Lalitha Anapura, Lakshmi Ashwin Gowda, and Ambika Hulinaykar.
The chiefs for various morchas included AS Patil Nadahalli (farmer morcha), Anil Thomas (minority morcha), Raghu Koutilya (backward classes morcha), S Manjunath (SC morcha), Bangaru Hanumanthu (ST morcha), Dhiraj Muniraju (yuva morcha), and C Manjula (women’s morcha).
Subbanarasimha has been appointed as the state treasurer.
