BENGALURU: With the elevation of B L Santosh as BJP national general secretary, the party dynamics are likely to change in Karnataka. Santosh, known to be scrupulously clean, takes over on Monday, at a time when the state political landscape is in a state of flux, and the coalition government is likely to face its toughest test yet.
What could be the party’s stand in the current situation, depends on the central leadership. It is said that the BJP prefers to wait for the coalition government to collapse completely before it stakes claim to form the government, as many central leaders want to keep the BJP’s image free from the taint of Operation Kamala.
The party is being linked to the opposition MLAs holed up in a Mumbai hotel. Padmanabhanagar MLA R Ashoka was seen with rebel Hoskote MLA MTB Nagaraj when he was flying to Mumbai. The presence of Yeddyurappa’s assistant in an aircraft carrying the rebels has not gone down well with the party leaders either.
Many in the BJP state and central leadership do not want state unit president BS Yeddyurappa as chief minister with cobbled numbers, their argument being whether turncoats can be trusted, and for how long. So the thinking is that a fresh mandate is preferable.