Against the Congress, governing party for the failure to fulfill their five pre-poll guarantees and misguiding the masses of Karnataka, the saffron party Board members including former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, State President Nalin Kumar Kateel, and Lok Sabha member DV Sadananda Gowda with lots of party workers protested at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru.BS Yediyurappa said, “We are opposing the government’s stated plan to withdraw the anti-conversion and anti-cow-slaughter laws which were BJP introduced in the past. After the session in every district, we have decided to protest against the ruling party for failing to implement its five pre-poll guarantees,” he added. Here, after meeting with over 100 BJP leaders, MLAs, and MLCs, Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, and BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde who are appointed as the Central observers for Karnataka to choose the Leader of the Opposition for both the houses of the state legislature left for New Delhi on Tuesday night.
After BJP lost the Assembly polls in May 2023, the leader of the opposition for both the houses of the state assembly with the party’s state President have not been appointed yet. Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje and Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, Basavraj Bommai, Kota Srinivas Poojary, Chalavadi Narayanswamy, and V.Sunil Kumar names have prominently come forward for these key positions. BJP General Secretary and MLC N.Ravi Kumar informed that as per the report which will be given by the central observers to the leaders. As per their decision finally, the names will be disclosed in a day or two for three positions, viz., the party’s state president, and leaders of the opposition in both houses of the state legislature.Some senior BJP politicians urged the observers to give equal representation to caste and regions, before coming to the final decision.On Day 2, the state Assembly and Council sessions were interrupted and adjourned a number of times after the protest of the BJP leaders as they entered the well of both Houses. CM Siddaramaiah requested the BJP members that the government is willing to reply to all the queries asked by them on poll guarantees. However, the BJP MLAs and members created a fuss. There were strong speculations that BJP and JD(S) can form a poll alliance before the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. BS Yediyurappa gave a statement that the BJP and JD(S) will contest against the Congress government collectively. Also, Kumaraswamy said that anything can happen, most likely by year-end or after the parliamentary polls.These statements were taken as an indication that the two parties would team up for the upcoming LS Polls. However, later Yediyurappa clarified his statement and said that the alliance of the two parties he was talking about was restricted to their fight in the state assembly as opposition parties and had nothing to do with the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.