Vijayendra, son of ex-CM Yediyurappa, appointed president of BJP Karnataka unit

The BJP on Friday appointed Vijayendra Yediyurappa, the son of former Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa, its state unit president, a decision that underscores the party leadership's acknowledgement of the veteran Lingayat leader's enduring influence on its fortunes despite its avowed stand against promoting family politics.

Vijayendra, a first-time MLA, is seen as a deft organisational leader and has impressed the party leadership with his abilities in various roles assigned to him, party sources said. He replaces Nalinkumar Kateel, who belong to an OBC caste.

The appointment of the 47-year-old leader, seen as the political heir to Yediyurappa, ends months of speculation as a change of guard in the state was widely expected since the BJP suffered a big defeat to the Congress in the assembly polls held in May this year.

Though it was always a strong probability that the BJP will pick a Lingayat leader but its choice of Vijayendra ignoring the dynastic plank, something it has used to target rivals, is as much an acknowledgement to his potential as to the political importance his father continues to wield despite being eased out of electoral politics by the party.

Yediyurappa is also a member of the BJP's apex organisational body, Parliamentary Board.

His elder son B Y Raghavendra is a Lok Sabha MP and the BJP has often tried to ensure that it is not seen encouraging more than one member of a family in politics.

The party is now expected to appoint a Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, a post which is likely to go to a non-Lingayat MLA, and thereby ruling out Basavaraj Bommai, a fellow Lingayat who had replaced Yediyurappa in July 2021 as chief minister.

Bommai may contest the 2024 Long Sabha elections, sources said.

Lingayats, who are the largest community in the southern state, have long made the BJP's core of supporters but a section of them was seen to have drifted from it in the assembly polls.

Vijayendra's appointment will rally them around the party again, the BJP hopes as it expects to recover from the assembly poll setback while gearing up for the Lok Sabha polls.