Who Is BY Vijayendra, The New Karnataka BJP President?

Five months after the Karnataka Assembly elections, the BJP has replaced Naleen Kumar Kateel with BY Vijayendra as the State BJP President.

According to reports, Shoba Karandlaje, CT Ravi, and V Sunil Kumar were also in the race, but ultimately, the party's high command selected BY Vijayendra as the new leader of the state BJP.

Who Is BY Vijayendra?

• He is the son of four-time Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. BY Vijayendra contested his first election from Shikaripura after his father vacated the seat.
• In the 2023 Assembly polls, he defeated his nearest rival and independent candidate SP Nagaraja Gowda by a margin of 11,008 votes.
• He previously served as the State Vice President of the Bharatiya Janata Party of Karnataka and the General Secretary of the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.
• He is a Lawyer by education and previously had a brief stint as an advocate.
• His brother BY Raghavendra is a member of Parliament from Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency.
• Vijayendra, who was elected as an MLA in the Assembly polls held earlier this year, is seen as a deft organisational leader.
• He was earlier credited for playing a key role KR Pete by-election in 2019.
• He was keen to contest in the 2018 Assembly polls against Yathindra, son of Siddaramaiah, from Varuna constituency in Mysuru. He had actively campaigned, but the high command did not give a ticket for him to contest the poll.