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Karnataka BJP on Edge as Specter of Reverse 'Operation Lotus' Looms Ahead of 2024

Sat, 19 Aug 2023 20:42:46  IG Bhatkali   SO News Service

Bangalore: Even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started talking about the 2024 elections, things don't look good for his party, the BJP, in Karnataka. This state was important for the BJP's success in South India, but now their chances don't seem very bright.

The BJP's team in Karnataka is waiting for someone to lead the opposition in the assembly and council. It's been three months since the election results were announced on May 10, and they still haven't found someone for this role.

The Congress party wants to get back at the BJP for something called "Operation Lotus." This was when the BJP took some of the Congress party's important people and came to power in Karnataka. Now, the Congress is trying to do the same to the BJP. The BJP is worried and trying hard to keep its members from joining the Congress. The Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka Congress leader, D.K. Shivakumar, said that in politics, things can change unexpectedly.

The Congress has made a list of about 13 to 15 important BJP leaders they want to attract to their side. If these leaders switch, it could be a big problem for the BJP.

People inside the BJP say that the big bosses of the party are still angry with the leaders in Karnataka because they lost badly in the last election. The Congress party is happy about its success in Karnataka, and they've started something new called the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) to challenge the BJP on a national level.

The Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, is going after Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He criticized Modi's comments about family politics during his Independence Day speech. Siddaramaiah even said that the Congress will win 20 seats in Karnataka in the next national elections.

The BJP doesn't seem to have a strong response to the attacks from Siddaramaiah and D.K. Shivakumar. Sometimes, a person named B.S. Yediyurappa, who helped the BJP come to power in Karnataka, comes out and says things. But for now, it's Basavaraj Bommai, a former Chief Minister, who's leading the party.

The Congress is saying that it's strange that there's no leader from the opposition side in the Karnataka legislature during the budget session. They also point out that there's a lot of fighting happening within the BJP.

People are talking about something called "Reverse Operation Lotus" or "Operation Hast." They say the Congress is planning to take important leaders from the BJP to make sure that big BJP leaders lose the elections. They're trying to get a senior BJP leader named V. Somanna to challenge Tejasvi Surya, who leads the BJP youth group, in Bengaluru South.

There's news that a former Chief Minister named Jagadish Shettar will compete against a Union Minister named Pralhad Joshi for the Hubballi seat. The Congress is also trying to defeat Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje in Udupi Chikkamagaluru.

Even though the BJP won in some places in Udupi district, they lost in Chikkamagaluru to the Congress. A well-known BJP leader named C.T. Ravi was defeated by the Congress candidate. D.K. Shivakumar wants to win here too.

The leaders of the BJP in Karnataka are looking to their bosses in Delhi for help, but it seems like they're not getting much support. Except for a few meetings with some BJP leaders, nothing else is happening.

The Congress is doing well by implementing its plans in Karnataka. They're making sure that minority groups continue to support them. They've even changed what children study in school, removing lessons about important BJP figures. The Congress is also keeping the support of the Dalit community. Shivakumar is working to keep another group of voters, called Vokkaligas, on their side. But it seems like the Lingayat community, which used to support the BJP, is not as supportive now.

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar keep warning against things like cow protection groups and moral policing. Even though the BJP tried to make a point with a video about a college in Udupi, it didn't get much attention from people across the state.

(Inputs from IANS)