BJP observers' arrival delayed, uncertainty over LoP continues in Karnataka

Members of the main Opposition party, the BJP, on Monday entered both Houses of the legislature without a leader of the Opposition.

This is perhaps for the first time in the last three decades that the main Opposition party is clueless about who their leader is.

Suspense over who will become leader of the Opposition in both Houses continued, even at the end of Day One of the first budget session of the new government.

The central observers - Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawade - will arrive in Bengaluru on Tuesday morning.

Also Read | BJP central observers to visit B'luru on Tuesday as LoP, state unit chief posts remain vacant

The two leaders will meet BJP MLAs and other leaders individually and seek their opinion about who should be the LoP and the state unit chief.

The observers may also attend the BJP legislature party meeting and ask the members to pass a one-line resolution to leave the decision on the leader of the Opposition to the party's central leadership, sources said.

The visit of the observers was delayed because Mandaviya was held up due to the meeting of the union council of ministers on Monday, sources said.

A senior leader told DH that the party's central leaders had orally directed a couple of senior leaders to counter the ruling party inside the House for the 'next two days' under the leadership of former CM Basavaraj Bommai.

Reacting to the delay over the announcement of the new leader of the Opposition, Bommai told reporters that the BJP, with a strength of 66 in the Assembly, was capable of taking on the Congress on the floor of the House. “The party's central leaders will take a call by tomorrow (Tuesday),” he said.

Basanagouda Patil Yatnal told reporters that the matter would be decided by the party high command and that everyone would fall in line once the name was announced.