Why did Karnataka BJP release office bearers list with caste against their name?

Updated: Friday, May 27, 2016, 14:19 [IST]

New Delhi, May 27: It was probably for the first time that the BJP in Karnataka had put out the caste of its new office bearers while releasing the list to the media.

The BJP released the list of its Vice presidents, State general secretaries, state secretaries apart from the media spokespersons and morcha presidents list. [What are SC Left and SC Right in Karnataka?]

To see the castes mentioned in the list of Vice presidents, State general secretaries, state secretaries did initiate a debate in the journalist circles.

To this one of the BJP men said jokingly, " you people would have anyway tried to find out the caste and we thought we will make your job easier." However on a serious note, this was a deliberate attempt to tell the people that they are not just a party of Lingayats.

Representation to all:
In the entire list of Vice presidents, State general secretaries, state secretaries there are 25 names. In all there are four persons from the Lingayat community in the list- one vice president and four state secretaries.

The party's president B S Yeddyurappa is a Lingayat. The BJP in Karnataka relies heavily on the very powerful Lingayat vote bank.

The party has also announced the names of 11 persons in its officer bearer list who are SC/ST and OBCs. There are five from the Vokkaliga community while two are Brahmans. There is also one Marwadi and Bunt on the list.

There has been a general conception that the BJP tends to lean more towards the Lingayat community where its vote bank is the strongest.

This time around the BJP felt that it needs to show to all that the caste representation in the party has been given to all. It is not exactly a new trend, but it is for the first time that the release was sent with the caste against the names.

BJP leaders say that this is a deliberate ploy to tell the people of the state that it has accommodated one and all and also to show that the party is not only about the Lingayat community.

OneIndia News