The BJP central leadership stunned the party's state unit on Monday by naming two ‘ordinary’ party workers — Eranna Kadadi and Ashok Gasti — as candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections from Karnataka.
The shock came even as several state BJP leaders had lobbied for candidates such as Ramesh Katti, the brother of 'disgruntled' eight-time MLA Umesh Katti, and incumbent Prabhakar Kore. The move is expected to make life difficult for Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who may face further disgruntlement from leaders belonging to the Lingayat community in the Mumbai-Karnataka region.
While Kadadi belongs to Panchamasali Lingayat community and hails from Belagavi district, Gasti is from Raichur and belongs to Savita Samaj, which the BJP hopes will further its effort to consolidate support among OBCs.
The decision could unsettle senior BJP leaders from Mumbai-Karnataka region, as the central leadership continued its pattern of promoting second-rung workers to positions of power — a formula used during the formation of Yediyurappa's Cabinet last year.
The announcement went against the three names that were discussed in the state BJP core committee on Saturday — Katti, Kore and hotelier Prakash Shetty.
The selection of Kadadi and Gasti also counters Yediyurappa's efforts to snuff out differences and bring a balance within the various factions of the BJP unit. Recently, a faction of MLAs under Umesh Katti, with their various demands, had ruffled some feathers in the government. MLAs like Basangouda Patil Yatnal had made their reservations against Yediyurappa clear, before the CM assuaged the worsening situation.
Sources in the BJP said that the nominations sent a subtle, but clear, message to the state leadership. "The central leadership is looking for a change of guard in the state government. Though it has not yet been able to zero in on suitable alternatives to Yediyurappa, the signal is clear that it can nurture and elevate senior second-rung leaders to the political mainstream," sources said.
From an organisational point of view, the decision to elevate party workers as Rajya Sabha nominees is also expected to provide a boost to the state BJP, motivating its strong army of political workers to slug it out in future elections.