Weeks after the Union Cabinet reshuffle signalled a generational change in the BJP, the party on Monday managed to effect a transition in Karnataka, with B S Yediyurappa stepping down as chief minister and leaving the succession race wide open.
With memories intact of 2012 — when the Lingayat heavyweight had walked out of the party, wrecking the BJP’s political fortunes in the state — this time, the BJP leadership is treading carefully as it looks for a candidate who can lead the party into the next election in 2023, aware that it can only do so with the 78-year-old veteran’s blessings.
Party leaders indicated that “the leadership will consider Yediyurappa’s preferences” while choosing his successor. Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan will be the party’s central observer to oversee the election of the new leader.