BJP invites Karnataka State Co-operative Federation chief MN Rajendra Kumar to join party
MANGALURU: Ahead of the crucial gram panchayat elections, the BJP is making efforts to get South Canara DCC Bank chairman MN Rajendra Kumar to join the party. He holds considerable clout in the rural areas of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.
At the 67th All India Co-operative Week held in Mangaluru on Sunday, BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel gave an open invite to Kumar to join the party stating that the latter "can rise to greater heights in the co-operative sector if he is with them".
In the same event, co-operation minister ST Somashekar described Kumar as a doyen of the co-operative sector and said he has all the qualities to shine at the international level.
72-year-old Kumar, who is also the current chairman of Karnataka State Co-operative Federation, is a Congress member and was a ticket aspirant from Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha seat in the 2019 elections. He has set a record by consistently being elected as chairman of SCDCC Bank since the last 27 years.
BJP could not taste success in the bank election despite the coast being its stronghold. On the other hand, the saffron party has not been able to see big success in the panchayat elections in the coast unlike the Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
In the backdrop of these factors, BJP understands that having Kumar on its side can be beneficial to the party in not just the panchayat elections but also the 2024 DCC Bank election. With more than 400 co-operative societies under it, the DCC Bank has a strong network in rural areas which the BJP has set its eyes on to win the panchayat elections.
However, sources close to Kumar feel that it is most unlikely that he will switch over to the saffron party. DCC Bank director and Congress leader Sadashiva Ullal said it is not for the first time that BJP leaders have tried to get Kumar into their party fold.