Like there was a lot of ruckus in the Rajya Sabha seats in Maharashtra, Karnataka News18 has also learned, there was a strategy to ensure not two but three victories for the Bharatiya Janata Party. The strategy team comprising BJP national general secretary CT Ravi, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and party state president Nalin Kumar Kateel made the “right” move based on victory.
Ravi said there was no need for any major maneuvers in Karnataka as the opposition parties themselves have paved the way for the BJP’s victory. Finding the right opportunity to win, with Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) putting each other down, the BJP decided to take a gamble and field a third candidate.
“We were sure of victory but it was not a win but the way it is won makes all the difference. We took the risk of fielding a third candidate as we had 32 votes in addition to the votes given to Nirmala Sitharaman ji and Jaggesh. Our strategy worked well,” Ravi told News18.
Of Karnataka’s four Rajya Sabha seats, the BJP won three, with Sitharaman, noted Kannada actor-comedian Jaggesh and Lahar Singh Siroya, a two-time MLC.
While both Sitharaman and Jaggesh had a clear majority, Siroya as the third candidate had only 31 votes, while the JD(S) had 32 and the Congress 25. However, cross-voting gave Siroya a much needed push and he got 33 votes. The votes got him his seat in the Rajya Sabha.
Elaborating on the choice of candidates, another senior BJP leader told News18 that apart from Sitharaman, Jaggesh was chosen to fulfill the Vokkaliga caste balance. But the choice of a third candidate was a challenge. It was a toss up between two senior workers, Prakash Shettar and Lahar Singh Siroya. Shettar decided to back down at the last minute and Siroya got lucky.
black horse
Seventy-four-year-old Siroya, who belongs to the Jain community, has been a part of the BJP for more than three decades. Maintaining a low profile at all times, this leader often faced difficulty in being accepted as part of the inner circle in the state unit. However, he is known to be a close confidante of former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who also made him an MLC for the first time in 2010. He has served two terms in the Karnataka Legislative Council and has built a good rapport with them over the years. Central leadership with his judicious working and fluent Hindi speaking abilities. Siroya has often been the BJP’s Hindi interlocutor between Delhi and Karnataka leaders.
“Besides the fact that Siroya has been a loyal party worker for more than three decades, he is also Yediyurappa’s man. It is important to balance the Yediyurappa factor, especially when things are yet to fall for his son Vijayendra. It is important that the tallest BJP leader from South India who has opened an account for the party here also has his say in such an important decision,” the leader said on condition of anonymity.
Another BJP leader confirmed that Yeddyurappa had proposed Siroya’s name during the state core committee meeting for the Rajya Sabha elections.
Ruckus in the opposition, BJP got the advantage
The opposition in Karnataka, which included the Congress and the JD(S), was in a face-off with each party trying to outdo each other. The Congress announced two candidates, Jairam Ramesh and Mansoor Khan, and an angry JD(S) said it was not consulted on forging an alliance. To counter the Congress, the JD(S) fielded Kripendra Reddy and tried to seek the support of opposition leader Siddaramaiah, but it did not happen.
Ravi also said that two Congress leaders, one from JD(S) and two independents voted in favor of the BJP and this increased the ruling party’s tally, making it not only a comfortable victory but a resounding victory. .
compared to what happened in MaharashtraRavi said that the alliance partners Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress are “unnatural allies”. He said that they are together for “political convenience” and those who are unhappy with those parties are doing everything possible to bring down the partnership.
“There is a lot of infighting in Maharashtra. There are many in the coalition parties who are very sad and are in touch with us. We took advantage of that opportunity and won,” said Ravi.
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