The Bharatiya Janata Party, which went into quietness after the massive defeat in the Assembly polls, is set to choose it’s legislature party leader on Tuesday besides beginning the process of introspecting its debacle.
Party’s former national president Nitin Gadkari will participate in the meeting of the legislators, and MPs besides the introspection session and the core committee meeting.
According to sources, the BJP is likely to appoint the former chief minister as well as its chief ministerial candidate in the elections Jagadish Shettar as its legislature party leader. Earlier, there was a feeling that the party may opt for a new leader, especially from among the second-line leaders, to work as its legislature party leader as it does not even have the status of the principal Opposition party. However, it now appears that the party may prefer Mr. Shettar as the legislature party leader in a bid to retain the Lingayat support base.
Meanwhile, the race for the leader of the Opposition’s post in the Upper House is hotting up with the former Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda being a prominent aspirant. The names of BJP MLCs K. B. Shanappa and Ramachandra Gowda too are being heard for the post, while the former minister V. Somanna who functioned as the leader of the House in the previous dispensation continues to be an MLC as he lost the Assembly polls.
“We are sure to decide our legislature party leader on Tuesday itself. We may also try to choose our leader in the Council on the same day. But we are not sure whether it would be possible to settle the issue on Tuesday itself,” sources said.
The main challenge for the party after the debacle is that of instilling confidence among its cadre and also rebuilding its organisation ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in a bid to improve its performance.
Also, the voting pattern, which showed that the three-way split ruined it’s chances in the polls, has thrown up the question of whether the party can improve its prospects without uniting its splinter groups. The party leaders are divided in their views on this issue. The fact that negative image of the party too affected its poll performance is visible as some of its good candidates lost in the areas where Mr. Yeddyurappa had no influence at all, they point out.
