Is
BJP ’s central leadership grooming Ballari MP B
Sreeramulu as the potential face of the party after B S Yeddyurappa?
The growing prominence of 46-year-old Sriramulu within the BJP, be it in allowing him to choose a constituency of his choice outside Ballari or letting him have a say in selection of candidates, particularly in segments reserved for Scheduled Tribes to which he belongs, has triggered a debate to this effect within the state BJP and in political circles.
The central leadership’s decision to depute
Madhya Pradesh chief minister
Shivraj Singh Chouhan to accompany Sreeramulu when he filed his nomination from Molakalmuru in Chitradurga on Saturday has only lent credence to the debate.
“Sreeramulu is the only leader from
Karnataka other than Yeddyurappa to have a chief minister of a BJPruled state by his side while filing his nomination, a privilege even senior leaders like Jagadish Shettar and K S Eshwarappa have not got. Not only this, Sreeramulu, along with
Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, was also present when Yeddyurappa filed his nomination from Shikaripur. This shows the BJP national leadership’s liking for Sreeramulu,’’ said a senior BJP leader.
BJP insiders see two reasons behind Sreeramulu being pushed to the forefront. First, he belongs to Scheduled Tribes, who constitute 7% of the state’s population, and he is very popular in his community, especially among the youth. The party wants to use this to its benefit and widen its base beyond Lingayats.
Second, the party is looking for a leader, who can replace Yeddyurappa, who is already 75. Sreeramulu could be an option as his gentle public behaviour makes him acceptable to all sections of the BJP, said another leader.
“But all this depends on how many seats he will win for the party in the May 12 elections and how other seniors, especially Lingayat leaders like Jagadish Shettar, accept him,” said a political analyst.