Bengaluru: BJP’s ongoing 10-day padayatra from Raichur to Ballari is being seen as a morale booster for party cadre and an effort to regain political momentum ahead of the 2028 assembly elections.The march has sparked comparisons with Congress’ 2010 Bellary Chalo padayatra against illegal mining, which was seen as a turning point for the party at the time.Since Congress’ sweeping win in 2023 under Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, the state BJP unit has struggled to make a political impact. The appointment of BY Vijayendra, first-time MLA and son of former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, as state president was expected to “infuse” fresh energy in the party.Instead, the move met with resistance from several senior legislators, who raised allegations of nepotism, leading to a public tussle between Vijayendra’s supporters and disgruntled seniors. The state unit has since faced criticism from within and elsewhere for appearing divided.From the expulsion of firebrand legislator Basanagouda Patil Yatnal to the appointment of opposition leaders and office-bearers, BJP has repeatedly faced questions over its handling of internal matters.“Cadre was at its lowest with many feeling brass was embroiled in its own issues and not taking on the Congress govt,” said a senior functionary. “They had even considered branching out on their own.”The row over former statistics and planning minister B Nagendra’s induction into Shivakumar’s cabinet gave BJP an opening. Vijayendra had previously led a padayatra from Bengaluru to Mysuru over the alleged Muda scam. But the impact of that march quickly faded after what many described as a “tame” conclusion and a lack of support from party brass.This time, the state unit has attempted to project a sense of unity, rallying around the demand to oust Nagendra and demonstrate to BJP central brass that the Karnataka unit remains politically active. Despite Nagendra’s resignation, BJP went ahead with the padayatra, seeking to capitalise on the attention generated by the issue.But not everyone is convinced. Political analyst Harish Ramaswamy said the march appears more of a Vijayendra-led exercise than a collective BJP initiative, and its real impact can be gauged only in the long term.“It also has a larger context with BJP trying to woo back the Scheduled Tribe (ST) vote bank that is strong in Raichur and Ballari since Congress swept all 17 ST assembly seats in 2023,” he said.Opposition leader in the legislative council Chalavadi Narayanswamy differed. “Senior brass decided to let local functionaries lead the padayatra along with the party president leaving others to target the govt at various levels. It was more of dividing our strengths,” said Narayanswamy, claiming the strong support for the padayatra had rattled the govt.But Kumar Naik, Raichur Congress MP, called the padayatra a “walk to nowhere”. “At a time when farmers need help, BJP is politicising a non-issue since Nagendra has already resigned. The walkathon will have no impact,” he said.BK Hariprasad, Congress state president, said: “We held a meeting with district presidents and functionaries of Kalyana Karnataka earlier this week, and everyone said drought is the most pressing issue. BJP is only politicking with this padayatra. We will provide a befitting response.”
