Karnataka: Rebel BJP leaders step up efforts to oust state president Vijayendra

A group of BJP leaders from Karnataka, led by senior MLA Basanagouda R Patil (Yatnal), have stepped up efforts to press for the ouster of state unit chief BY Vijayendra as the crisis within the party exacerbates and the leadership prepares to name a new president this month soon after the Delhi elections.

The anti-Vijayendra camp led by Yatnal has sought time with senior leaders in Delhi including national president JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah and general secretary (organization) BL Santhosh to present their case. “We are leaving for Delhi today to expose the misdeeds of the Yediyurappa family,” the BJP MLA said in Vijayapura, confirming their efforts to seek the state chief’s replacement.

“Even those leaders who had been keeping a neutral stance too have shifted their loyalties to us. They have transformed and our group has just got bigger,” Yatnal added.


The BJP MPs are already in Delhi, participating in the Parliament session. A senior MP told ET that the dissident group is unlikely to get an appointment with the top leaders until the polls are over in Delhi. Any meeting would be possible only on or after Wednesday,

The BJP leadership named Vijayendra as president in November 2023 after the party suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Congress in the assembly polls in May that year. The rebel group is showing signs of desperation as the appointment of district unit presidents is over and the party is gearing up to name the state unit president sometime this month.

Vijayendra, a first-time MLA from Shivamogga district, is the son of former CM BS Yediyurappa. While Vijayendra is confident of retaining his post, the rebel camp is pushing for polls and is doing backroom meetings to field its own candidate who can defeat the incumbent president in the event of a poll. A senior party leader, however, clarified that elections need not mean polling, it can happen by consensus too.