Bengaluru: What began as an embarrassing incident of cross-voting in the recent legislative council election appears to have snowballed into a leadership churn in the state unit of BJP, with the party’s high command said to be weighing organisational changes that could include replacing state president BY Vijayendra.Union minister V Somanna met BJP national president Nitin Nabin Thursday, fuelling a buzz that he could be entrusted with leading the Karnataka unit.It is said Vijayendra’s position was already under review following a string of electoral setbacks, and the cross-voting incident — where at least four BJP MLAs are believed to have voted for Congress candidates — has become a tipping point.Rather than treating it as an isolated breach of discipline, central brass appears to be viewing the incident as a sign of deeper organisational issues and an inability to keep the legislative party united.The developments come at a difficult phase for BJP in Karnataka. Since losing the 2023 elections, the party has struggled to regain momentum, while Congress has won all five bypolls since then. This has intensified questions within BJP over leadership, coordination, and strategy.The cross-voting controversy has also revived criticism within sections of BJP over Vijayendra’s style of functioning. Some party colleagues have again raised allegations of “adjustment politics” with chief minister DK Shivakumar, an accusation Vijayendra rejected Friday after offering prayers at Dharmasthala. He insisted that he had neither personal nor business ties with Shivakumar and that any cordiality towards the CM was only out of respect for the constitutional office.“Following the cross-voting incident, rumours were spread about my relationship with DK Shivakumar. Even some from my own party contributed to these rumours. Standing in this sacred place, I state that have not engaged in any ‘adjustment politics,’ and my conscience is clear. I have prayed for the well-being of those who spread falsehoods against me,” Vijayendra said.Political analyst MN Patil said the latest episode had only hastened an ongoing debate. “The leadership question was under discussion for some time. Cross-voting has provided a trigger. Whether it results in an immediate change depends on the larger political strategy,” he said.Those backing Somanna say he has emerged as the frontrunner as he is seen as a consensus builder capable of bridging factional divides. His standing with central party brass is believed to have strengthened after accepting politically challenging assignments, including contesting against Siddaramaiah from Varuna in the 2023 assembly election before returning to Parliament from Tumakuru in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. His administrative experience and long political career are also viewed as key strengths.However, supporters of Vijayendra argue that sidelining the BS Yediyurappa family could prove politically costly. They point out that BJP’s earlier attempt to project Basavaraj Bommai as the party’s principal face did not yield electoral success. “The party cannot afford to ignore the Yediyurappa factor. I don’t think the leadership will experiment with Somanna, who is seen by many as being too senior for a long-term organisational role,” a functionary said.Sources say that if Somanna is chosen as state president, BY Raghavendra, Vijayendra’s brother and Shivamogga MP, could be considered for a berth in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet during the upcoming cabinet reshuffle, a move that would help balance interests of the influential Yediyurappa camp.
