Karnataka BJP holds meeting to introspect on Assembly election defeat

Karnataka BJP party is holding a series of day-long meetings on Thursday to introspect the humiliating defeat in the recently concluded Assembly polls.

Being held at the party headquarters here, the meeting will deliberate on the selection of candidates for the posts of leader of the Opposition in Assembly and council besides the party President from elected MLAs and leaders, according to sources.

In the MLAs' meeting in the morning, strategies are being devised to corner the Congress government in the upcoming budget session. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is scheduled to present the budget on July 7.

The saffron party will discuss ways to contain the Congress in the session which is all set to take maximum mileage following successful implementation of the guarantee schemes.

In the afternoon, the party is organising a meeting of defeated candidates. Several sitting ministers had lost elections and the meeting has assumed importance as senior leaders who faced defeat are likely to talk openly on where they went wrong and how the party's strategy failed in the elections.

The core committee meeting will be held in the evening, where the inputs from the meetings held in the morning would be discussed.

Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh, Party State President Nalin Kumar Kateel, former Chief Ministers M.S Basavaraj Bommai, B.S. Yediyurappa, National General Secretary C.T. Ravi will chair the meetings.

The party sources explained that the high command is contemplating to appoint a Lingayat or Vokkaliga leader as the state President or to the post of leader of the Opposition in Assembly.

A leader from the backward classes would take over as the leader of opposition in the Legislative Council, the sources added.

--IANS

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