Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Oct 12: BJP had said initially that it would stick to the principle of one man - one post. However, for obvious reasons, the party leadership has allowed Yeddyurappa to occupy two positions simultaneously, one of the state unit president, and the other, leader of the opposition in the assembly. This has caused heartburn among the party leaders who are without any important positions as the party is not in power in the state. It is said that the Sangh Parivar has given strong signals more than once to the BJP to stick to the principle of one man - one post.

It is said that the Sangh Parivar wants a person from backward classes or scheduled caste to be chosen for the post of the state president. It also has stipulated that such a person should have a strong Sangh Parivar background. With this, many leaders have sensed a chance to get a powerful position and hence begun their efforts in that direction, it is learnt. In the past too feeble voices had been raised against the two posts occupied by Yeddyurappa but they had died down soon after finding that the central leadership did not support this demand.

The names of the chief whip of the opposition in the assembly and Karkala MLA, V Sunil Kumar, MP, P C Mohan, and former deputy chief minister, K S Eshwarappa, all of whom belong to backward classes, have come to the fore for now. There are also aspirants from scheduled caste category like senior legislators, Arvind Limbavali and Govind Karjol. MP, Shobha Karandlaje, Chikkamagaluru MLA, C T Ravi, and former deputy chief minister, R Ashok, who are from Okkaliga community, can also be chosen for the post. Although MPs, Anant Kumar Hegde and Prahlad Joshi too fulfil the norms, they belong to higher castes and hence may not be preferred for the post, sources feel.

As per the calculations and analysis made by BJP, it has to snatch away votes from backward classes and scheduled castes/tribes from the Congress if it has to emerge in the forefront. The party leaders feel that strategies will have to be owned to get the votes of backward classes who form 30 percent of the electorate. Choosing a leader from that community will have a positive effect on the voters belonging to that class, the party leadership believes.

Some of the above leaders may not be a preferred choice of the party's national president, Amit Shah, as he wants young blood to take up organizational responsibility at the state level. At the same time, there is a section which believes that changing the state president at this juncture might affect the party's performance in Lok Sabha election as the party had done well in the recent assembly election as compared to the last one under the leadership of Yeddyurappa.

Both Amit Shah and Sangh Parivar want the party to stick to principles and discipline rather than giving importance to personalities. If the BJP leaders succumb to the pressure of the Sangh Parivar to stick to one man - one post rule, Yeddurappa may have to pave way for a new leader soon, political analysts say.