BENGALURU: The BJP core committee meeting, along with the state’s office bearers and executive committee, which will be held in Hubballi on December 28-29, is expected to see the party ranks, under the leadership of national general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh, discuss ways to overhaul both the government and the organisation.
Developments over the last three months, especially the results of the recent MLC polls in which the BJP could garner a modest 11 seats, will top the agenda. A report on the party’s debacle in Mandya, Belagavi and Hassan, and a victory by a thin margin of votes in Dharwad has already reached the party high command.
In Mandya, the failure on the part of minister Narayana Gowda to fetch votes for the BJP candidate, while the Congress managed to snatch the seat from the JDS, has sparked a debate. Interestingly, the BJP is concerned with the second preferential votes in North Karnataka going in favour of the Congress, while in the Old Mysuru region, they went in favour of JDS, especially in the Mysuru-Chamarajanagar dual-member seat.
Meanwhile, in the Dharwad dual-member seat, which comprised Haveri district voters too, Pradeep Shettar -- younger brother of former CM Jagadish Shettar -- won, though coming in second. Pradeep has already expressed his displeasure on social media, regarding the leadership’s failure to convince rebel candidate Mallikarjun Haveri, who garnered over 1,200 votes, to withdraw from the contest.
According to sources, a major reshuffle could also be on the cards, alongside the dropping of under-performing ministers, and especially those who are found to be lacking loyalty to the party. Union minister Bhupendra Yadav too is said to be closely watching the developments in the state and conveying his views to the central leadership.