BENGALURU: BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel has got into the game, and for starters, has put together a new team of district presidents.
The BJP’s core concern is the party, and to ensure that it remains strong, 12 new district presidents have been appointed. The party’s Bengaluru district unit has been divided, for the first time, into three parliamentary constituencies and presidents have been appointed for each of the three districts.
G Manjunath has been appointed in Bangalore Central, where PC Mohan is MP; NR Ramesh in Bangalore South, where Tejasvi Surya is MP; B Narayana heads the unit in Bangalore North, represented by DV Sadananda Gowda, and AV Narayana Swamy is in Bangalore Rural, where BJP candidate Ashwath Narayan lost. Their big test will be the BBMP elections, due later in the year.
The other district presidents are Srivatsa (Mysuru City), SD Mahendra (Mysuru Rural), R Sundar (Chamarajanagar), Kulyadi Suresh Nayak (Udupi), Venkatesh Nayak (Uttara Kannada), Shantappa Gouda T Patil (Bagalkote), Ramanand Yadav (Raichur), Chenna Basavanagouda Patil (Ballari) and Veeresh Hanagavadi (Davanagere).
Party insiders say that with a new national president and state president in place, new district presidents have been appointed to build the party, and come in the wake of 15 district presidents being appointed recently.
Party general secretary and MLC Ravi Kumar said, “Special care was taken to choose those whose commitment to the party is high. Caste equations and other issues were also considered. We have appointed SC, ST, OBC, and almost every section has been considered.’’ Asked if they have given youth a chance, he said that most of the appointees are young.
The new office-bearers’ big test will be the Gram Panchayat elections, to be held across the state. After the good show the party put up in places like KR Pet in Mandya, there will be pressure on the party unit to outdo the Congress and JDS, which have traditionally done better than the BJP in most parts of South Karnataka.
Ravi Kumar said the remaining districts will get their presidents in the next few days.