After the victory in West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party high command appears to be shifting its focus to Karnataka, though Assembly polls here are two years away. The high command seems to have decided to focus on strengthening its organisation in the State, which is seen as the party’s gateway to South India.

This is indicated in the maiden visit of the party’s national president Nitin Nabin, who took over in January this year, to the State. Mr. Nabin will be arriving in Bengaluru on a three-day visit on May 23.

Hectic preparations

Though it appears like a routine exercise as Mr. Nabin is here to participate in the party’s district-level organisational workshop happening throughout the country, preparations being made indicate the importance being attached to it.

His visit appears like part of the process to chalk out a road map for galvanising party cadre. His visit was preceded by two key events – the public convention to mark five decades of public life of party veteran leader B.S. Yediyurappa in Chitradurga and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public address in Bengaluru.

Ahead of Mr. Nabin’s visit, BJP national joint organisational secretary Shivaprakash is camping in Bengaluru since May 20. He is reportedly holding meetings with prominent leaders and office-bearers of the party on strengthening the party organisation with an eye on the 2028 Assembly elections, besides the polls to corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).

On continuing BYV

Speculation is also rife that he may hold informal consultations on the possibility of declaring incumbent party State chief B.Y. Vijayendra as the full-term president in a bid to avoid uncertainty on his term during the preparations to polls, particularly for the GBA. But any announcement in this regard would have to be made only in consultations with the party central leaders, including Amit Shah. Party sources say that any decision is likely to be made and announced in Delhi.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nabin will hold meetings with party legislators, office-bearers and State core committee members, besides participating in Bengaluru North organisational unit’s prashikshana varga, party’s training camp for its cadre. The cadre is expecting that Mr. Nabin’s visit will mark the beginning of concrete efforts to strengthen the organisation, particularly after the party’s loss in the bypolls to two Assembly constituencies recently. Earlier, the BJP central leadership appeared preoccupied with other poll-bound States to focus on its faction-ridden Karnataka unit.

But the recent developments, including its own landmark victory in West Bengal and the Opposition’s continued political grip in Southern region, appears to have made the party national leadership to work towards re-establishing its hold in Karnataka.

As the BJP was able to form a government for the first time in the south in Karnataka, the party national unit is believed to be of the view that having a government and strong organisation in Karnataka would help in making inroads in other southern States.