B.Y. Vijayendra takes over as BJP State chief, vows to win all 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Newly-appointed BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra assumed charge on Wednesday, November 15, in a traditional ceremony in the presence of his father and former chief minister B. S. Yediyurappa at the party state office in Bengaluru with a declaration that he would strive to win all 28 Lok Sabha seats in the State in the elections scheduled next year.
The 47-year-old Vijayendra sought to assure the party’s national leadership that he would revive the party’s old glory in Karnataka by turning it into a strong BJP bastion again. He asked party workers to work towards this goal.
Accusing the Congress government of indulging in largescale corruption in the state, he claimed the ruling Congress MLAs themselves were facing embarrassment as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was not in a position to offer them any developmental grants, triggering public wrath.
Mr Vijayendra, who hails from the dominant Lingayat-Veerashaiva community, also indicated that he would take all the communities along by asking party legislators to start considering themselves as just party workers instead of Lingayat or Vokkaliga leaders. “We can sweep the Lok Sabha polls only if you consider yourselves as party workers rather than leaders of specific communities,” he maintained.
He also assured the party central leaders of considering himself as a mere party worker and cooperating with all senior leaders and party workers.
Outgoing state president Nalin Kumar Kateel handed over the party flag to Mr Vijayendra in a symbolic gesture to mark the change in guard.
A large number of party workers and supporters who had gathered on the premises of Jagannatha Bhavan, the party state headquarters, offered a traditional welcome to Mr. Vijayendra with the beating of drums, reception by women workers carrying Poornakumbha kalashas, puja by priests and performance by folk teams.
Mr Vijayendra, a first-time MLA from Shikaripura constituency of Shivamogga, performed gau (cow) puja and homa at the party office before taking over the mantle of leadership. Mr Yediyurappa, Nalin Kumar Kateel and party state organising general secretary Rajesh too participated in the homa.
Veteran leaders D.H. Shankaramurthy, Govind Karjol and K. S. Eshwarappa and former chief ministers D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Basavaraj Bommai, Union Minister Bhagwanth Khuba were present on the dais.