Legislators are in a State of confusion as the party is yet to announce any formal schedule about Tuesday’s consultations
Amidst concerns over the principal Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party setting a new precedent of not choosing Leader of the Opposition even after commencement of the legislature session, the two Central observers deputed by the party high command are expected to arrive in Bengaluru on Tuesday to initiate the process.
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and party national general secretary Vinod Tawde will arrive in Bengaluru on Tuesday and take up the process of consultation with senior leaders and legislators, besides holding a core committee meeting.
“They will elicit the views of senior leaders and legislators, and after that the name of the new Leader of the Opposition may be announced on the same day if there are no complications in the process of selection. Otherwise, the announcement may get stretched by one more day,” said a senior BJP leader.
But there is no clarity on whether the process of selection of the new legislature party leader, who will go onto become the Leader of the Opposition, would be completed by Tuesday itself as there is no formal announcement by the party Central leadership.
In fact, the party legislators are in a state of confusion as the party is yet to announce any formal schedule about Tuesday’s consultations though the pressure is increasing to appoint Leader of the Opposition as the Budget session of the State legislature began on Monday.
Names doing the rounds
As of now, the names of former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, former Minister V. Sunil Kumar, senior leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, former Ministers Araga Jnanendra and Ashwath Narayan are being heard prominently as probables for the post of Leader of the Opposition.
If the BJP leadership decides to give the post to Lingayat community, then the choice would get narrowed down to Mr. Bommai and Mr. Yatnal. But if the party decides to give the party State president’s post, which has also come up for appointment, to a Lingayat leader, then the post of Leader of the Opposition would have to be given to a non-Lingayat legislator in a bid to give political representation to different communities.
Some BJP leaders are of the view that Central leadership also thinking of appointing a new president for the party State unit may have delayed the process of choosing the new Leader of the Opposition as both the posts should be given to leaders from different communities.
While permutations and combinations related to caste being in play are nothing new, what has puzzled the party State leaders is the inordinate delay in initiating the process of choosing Leader of the Opposition by the party high command.
