Bengaluru: Reports on the State BJP leadership exerting pressure on the Central leadership to create four Deputy Chief Ministers (Dy.CMs) are doing the rounds in the political circles of the State.

It is rumoured that appointment of four Dy.CMs to assist the Chief Minister is being worked out and it remains to be seen whether the party’s Central leadership gives green signal to such a proposal.

Discussions are on in the State BJP about the prospects of grooming a second line of leadership. It is believed that to  add more political power and to strengthen the hands of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai  and as well grooming a strong  second line of leadership in the State, efforts are on to urge the party High Command to create four Dy.CM posts representing the politically dominant four major communities of the State — Lingayat, Vokkaliga, OBCs and SC/ST.

State leaders are said to be batting for allotting one Dy.CM post each to Old Mysore, Coastal Karnataka, Mumbai Karnataka and Kalyana Karnataka (formerly Hyderabad Karnataka) regions, thus maintaining regional balance.

Meanwhile, two teams consisting of 18 top leaders of the party have landed in Bengaluru to meet MLAs, party leaders and top RSS functionaries. They are expected to collect information about the style of functioning of the State Government, performance of Ministers and the attitude of people in their inner circles, people’s opinion about the Ministers and their responsiveness in addressing issues. The team is also likely to gather information about the State Party President and his organisational capabilities and also about leadership qualities of other office-bearers in the State unit. It is learnt that the Central leadership of the BJP will decide on future steps to be taken based on the reports of the two teams.

BJP will come to power on Modi’s charisma in 2023: Chief Minister

Amidst these developments, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that the charisma and development programmes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the strength of the party organisation will help the BJP in coming to power again in the State.

He was speaking at a function organised at Jagannatha Bhavana to thank Union Ministers Prahlad Joshi & Shobha Karandlaje and BJP National General Secretary C.T. Ravi, who were in-charge of the recently held Assembly elections to five States, where the party did exceedingly well. He further added that the party should similarly work hard in the State to bring BJP back to power in the 2023                                    Assembly elections.

Stating that the BJP’s victory in the recently held Assembly elections in the five States are in fact a victory for the leadership of Narendra Modi, Bommai contended that this was the semi-final for 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“The people of Uttar Pradesh have endorsed the leadership of Modiji and Yogiji. The electorate has accepted the BJP’s narrative of nationalism and hindutva ideology. It is a victory for development works in Uttarakhand. Election in Goa was complex in nature for the party and victory there was achieved there by uniting party workers. In case of Punjab, the party has established its own base. By winning 4 out of 5 States, the BJP has recorded unprecedented victory, which is a stamp of the popularity and power of Modi,” the CM noted.

State BJP President and MP Nalin Kumar Kateel said that the Central leadership of the party has confidence in the party workers and expressed the hope that BJP will win the 2023 Assembly elections and retain power with a comfortable majority.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi described the State Budget presented by CM Bommai as very good and lauded the State Government’s programme to deliver revenue documents at the doorsteps of the people, which he said was a historical initiative.

He concluded by saying that the programmes, plans, projects, initiatives and schemes  of Yediyurappa and Bommai Governments should reach the targeted beneficiaries and even the last person in the society should be benefited by them.