Will expelled BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal launch a new party? The Hindutva Hardliner and a vocal critic of former chief minister and fellow Lingayat B.S. Yediyurappa, Yatnal was expelled from the party for breach of “party discipline” last week. However, the expulsion has led to resentment among the BJP cadres who feel the party is sidelining the Hindutva leaders.
Even as Yatnal hinted that he would mull over the possibility of floating a new party based on Hindutva ideology, going by the past precedent, the regional parties in Karnataka have been short-lived and not seen much electoral success. Also, unlike the other leaders who formed a new party, Yatnal is not a mass leader and cannot hope to get the backing from his own Lingayat community, which holds sway in nearly 100 Assembly constituencies.
The Vijayapura MLA had been accusing the Yediyurappa family, especially the state president By Vijayendra, of indulging in “corruption” and “adjustment politics” with the ruling Congress. He also alleged that Yediyurappa had sidelined Hindutva leaders in the party –Anantkumar Hegde, Pratap Simha and K.S. Eshwarappa. However, it only earned him the wrath of the party high command as his outbursts against Yediyurappa and his son were denting the party’s image and spoiling the discipline in the party.
While, the cadres and the leaders recognise Yatnal’s fight for Hindutva and the Hindu community (by leading the anti- wakf protests, or speaking out against 45 per cent reservation for Muslims) and his focus on issues related to the north Karnataka region, his rebellion has caused huge embarrassment to the party by exposing the factional feuds in the open.
“I would never join the Congress party as it is anti-Hindu. There is a demand of the people for a Hindu-centric party. I will announce on Vijayadashami day if I decide to launch a new party after building consensus among my supporters and wellwishers,” said Yatnal adding he was not against Modi or the BJP but the Yediyurappa family.
Yatnal, also, argues that he will return to the BJP soon and that the state leaders would urge the party’s central leadership to revoke his expulsion. The former union minister and a fiery Hindutva leader from the Kalyan Karnataka region, Yatnal will face many hurdles to float and sustain a political party at a time when the national parties are predatory and flushed with resources leaving little room for startups.
Janata Dal Secular (JDS) founded in 1999 by former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda is the longest surviving regional party in Karnataka, which has played the kingmaker and also shared power with both BJP and the Congress. It remains a significant regional force in Karnataka as it is backed by the dominant Vokkaliga community in the Old Mysore region, who consider Devegowda as their icon. The party which continues to hold around 19 per cent vote share is in alliance with the BJP in the state and at the Centre. JDS state party president and former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is now part of the Modi cabinet.
In the 1960s, the Kannada Chalavali Vatal Paksha (KCVP) founded by Vatal Nagaraj (who has won the Chamarajanagar Assembly seat many times) to focus on Kannada interests, was reduced to a Kannada advocacy group. The Karnataka Congress Party (KCP) founded by former Chief Minister S. Bangarappa in 1994 won 10 seats (voteshare 7.31 per cent) in the 1994 Assembly elections but later lost its clout.
Lok Shakti, founded by Ramakrishna Hegde in 1997 after his fallout with H.D. Devegowda, had allied with the BJP in 1998 but eventually merged with the Janata Dal (United) in 1999.
Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha (SKP) founded in 1999 by writer Devanuru Mahadeva, aimed to promote social justice and Dalit upliftment, but did not succeed electorally.
Karnataka Rajya Ryota Paksha (KRRP), founded by Prof. M.D. Nanjundaswamy, advocated for agriculture, rural development, and farmers' rights until Nanjundaswamy's death in 2004.
In the last two decades, three rebel BJP leaders launched new political parties which did not find success though they managed to dent the votes of the saffron party.
Badavara Shramikara Raitara (BSR) Congress was founded in 2011 by Valmiki leader B. Sriramulu. The party won four seats (voteshare 2.69 percent) in the 2013 Karnataka elections but later merged with the BJP in 2014.
Similarly, the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) was formed by Yediyurappa in 2012, won six seats (vote share 9.79 per cent) and managed to weaken BJP's performance in the 2013 state elections. Yediyurappa joined the BJP in 2014, just ahead of the Parliament elections after dissolving the KJP.
The latest entrant is the Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha (KRPP) launched by tainted mining baron Janardhana Reddy in 2022, promising to work for the development and welfare in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region. Reddy won the Gangavathi seat and merged the party with the BJP.
This time, Yatnal will be pitched against Yediyurappa and the BJP who are favoured by the dominant Lingayat community. Also, the Hindutva plank would not be helpful as the RSS’s Hindutva credentials and the cadre strength of the RSS-BJP is unmatched. The JDS’ clout over Old Mysore region and the Vokkaligas and Yatnal’s anti-Muslim stance leave him with little scope to build a loyal votebase.
For now, Yatnal might have the sympathy of senior leaders and cadres, but expecting the BJP cadres to pick him over the party seems far-fetched. As Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi claims, Yatnal might retrace his steps into the BJP, when the time is right.
