BackB.S. Yeddyurappa named Karnataka BJP president
New appointments have been made in four other states with an eye on caste and community calculations that would help the BJP increase its vote base
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New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday appointed former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa as president of the state unit and chose new chiefs for four other state chapters.
The appointments have been made mainly with an eye on caste and community calculations that would help the BJP increase its vote base in each of the states.
Yeddyurappa had to quit the post of chief minister in 2011 after facing corruption allegations. His selection as the BJP’s Karnataka unit chief has to be seen in the context of his roots in the Lingayat community, a key voter base in Karnataka. BJP lost power in Karnataka in 2013 after the state government under Yeddyurappa faced several corruption scandals.
New state presidents have been named for the BJP’s units in Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh.
Vijay Sampla, minister of state for social justice and empowerment and a prominent Dalit face of the BJP in Punjab, has been given the reins of the party in the state before elections next year. The appointment is important because of the large Dalit base in Punjab.
Keshav Prasad Maurya, who has been named to head the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit, belongs to the other backward classes community, a crucial voting bloc in the state, which also goes to the polls next year. Maurya is considered close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which like the BJP are affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Former member of Parliament Tapir Gao, who was made chief of the BJP’s Arunachal Pradesh unit, belongs to the scheduled tribe community. Senior party leader K. Laxman was named president of the state unit in Telangana.
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