With Bommai In Driver’s Seat Yediyurappa’s Son Vijayendra Still A Force To Reckon With

With his father BS Yediyurappa’s (BSY) aide and minister Basavaraj Bommai in the saddle, BY Vijayendra is still a force to be reckoned with as Karnataka comes under a new regime. The central BJP leadership tried its best to bring a more amenable CM in Bengaluru who would listen to New Delhi. But with elections not far away and the Lingayat factor too strong to ignore, BJP’s top brass had to compromise. Under the new dispensation too, Vijayendra will still be a powerful factor, operating from behind the scenes. BSY, the principal architect who created a foothold in the South for the BJP, had to be kept on the right side of equations despite BJP’s compulsion in not sending the party into the polls under an 80-year-old two years hence. With his non-communal approach and his inclusive vision, BSY was a tall regional chieftain who took an independent stand. Faced with rising cases after the lifting of most lockdown restrictions, Bommai has his task cut out in his State to control Covid first and then raise his sights on the elections. This is where he will be leaning on Vijayendra the most as he was the architect who brought Congress and JD(S) MLAs on board for his father to win back the State.