Karnataka Elections 2023: Will BJP's bet on Dharmendra Pradhan pay off?

New Delhi: After playing a crucial role in winning Uttar Pradesh elections for the Bharatiya Janata Party last year, Dharmendra Pradhan was handpicked by the saffron unit on Saturday to ensure victory in Karnataka and save its southern bastion.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and the BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai have been appointed co-poll in-charge for the state.

The selection of Pradhan came as the saffron front is treading carefully to make a comeback in its southern Indian bastion in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls. The return to power in Karnataka will be crucial as the party plans to expand its footprint in the south in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Also read: Will Congress' problem of plenty and infighting help BJP in Karnataka?

The appointment is being seen as an indication of confidence in Pradhan’s leadership and larger role in the 2023 Assembly polls and 2024 Lok Sabha polls and reflecting his rising stature as a key strategist in the saffron unit’s hierarchy.

Pradhan enjoys the complete confidence of the top three leaders of the BJP. Sources pointed out that the Education Minister was probably the only top leader to enjoy a great equation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J P Nadda.

In UP, Pradhan had shown great acumen by reaching out to the Brahmin community by holding one-on-one talks with the community leaders and ensuring that there was no split in the Hindu vote bank of the BJP. The Brahmin community was seemingly angry with the Yogi Adityanath government after allegations of being overlooked were made, while Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party were also trying to woo the influential community. However, Pradhan’s low-key and hands-on approach ensured the community’s backing for the saffron unit.

He is expected to play a similar role in Karnataka by reaching out to the politically significant Vokkaliga community which has been demanding a piece of the reservation pie, with just months to go for polls. The BJP is trying desperately to wean away the community from the Congress and Pradhan has been tasked to ensure that the grand old party doesn’t walk away with their votes, sources said.

A prominent OBC leader from Odisha, Pradhan, has emerged as a firefighter for the BJP over the past several years. His acumen has been acknowledged by the top leadership in last year’s Uttar Pradesh legislative Assembly polls.

A low-profile leader, the Education Minister is known to be a person who finds solutions, takes everyone along and tries to amicably end differences among various factions within the party. This skill of the senior leader is expected to help the party by ensuring that there is no rebellion or infighting once tickets are finalised for the forthcoming polls, sources said.  

Strong organizational skills are the hallmark of Pradhan's operational style which is being put to use by the BJP in Karnataka as well, sources said.  

And the BJP needs a strong organisational man as Congress is trying to remove the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai-led government.

With the presence of three strong leaders, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, PCC chief DK Shivakumar and former Chief Minister and leader of the Opposition of Karnataka Legislative Assembly Siddharamaiah, the grand old party feels it has a great chance of dislodging Bommai.

The 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly is set to go to polls in the next few months. Karnataka was the first state to elect a BJP government in South India. As the BJP plans a massive expansion in South India with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, winning in Karnataka is on the priority list for its top leadership. The party has set a target of winning 100 seats in Lok Sabha from the five southern states of the country.

Karnataka elects 28 MPs to the lower house of the Parliament. Of these, the BJP had secured 25 seats with one seat secured by an NDA ally in the 2019 general elections and the saffron unit hopes to retain its Karnataka's strength of seats in Lok Sabha in 2024 polls.  

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to seek a third term, the importance of Karnataka in the BJP's political scheme of things has increased immensely.