Byelection: BJP defeat has again exposed party’s lack of focus on strengthening cadre

The washout in all three Assembly seats that went to the byelections in Karnataka has again exposed the lack of focus by the BJP on strengthening its cadre in the State despite its strategists repeatedly referring to this lacunae.

Though it is common for the ruling party to have an advantage in byelections, there had been much curiosity around the three Assembly segments that went to the polls on November 13 as BJP leaders were confident that the issues they had raised ahead of the election — such as alleged irregularities in MUDA involving the Chief Minister and the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation ‘scam’, besides the waqf land row — would have turned the tide in their favour. The BJP had launched Statewide campaigns on them.

Little impact from campaigns

But the results have shown that neither the BJP nor its ally, the JD(S), could gain significantly from those campaigns. This is being blamed on the party’s failure to strengthen its cadre. It is no secret that BJP top leaders have been concerned about the party’s cadre, once its hallmark, becoming weak. In fact, many workers in the party have said that the BJP, when in power, had distanced itself from them.

Though strengthening the cadre was top on the agenda of party State president B.Y. Vijayendra when he took over the organisational responsibility about a year ago, the byelection results show that there is a long way to go on that front.

Terming the defeat in the byelections as a “caution bell”, a section of leaders felt that the party organisation would have to give priority to actively engaging workers if its State-level campaigns against the Congress government would have to make an impact.

An indecisive centre

Also, the indecisiveness of the BJP’s central leadership in handling groupism in the State unit appears to have come in the way of strengthening the party organisation. Though the groups of dissidents and those owing allegiance to the State president are holding separate parleys, the party central leadership is yet to take measures to end groupism by addressing the issue.

The byelection defeat has now given a handle to the disgruntled leaders in the party to up their ante against Mr. Vijayendra. One such leader, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, has already demanded a change in leadership.

Apart from these organisational issues, the byelections have also shown that the BJP lacks a hold on backward classes as the party and its ally could have fared better if it had managed to woo a sizeable chunk of OBC voters.

Two sons in fray

Some of the BJP leaders feel that the party and its ally allowing two former Chief Ministers to field their sons in the byelections may not have gone well with its supporters at a time when the party is attacking the Congress over “dynastic politics”. The manner in which two former Chief Ministers, H.D. Kumaraswamy and Basavaraj Bommai, allowed their sons to enter the fray at the last minute without proper preparations is also being seen as one of the reasons for the defeat.

It is beyond doubt that the defeat has hit the morale of the party and its ally at a time when they were trying to escalate the attack on the Congress government in general and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in particular over various issues.