BJP appoints Dalit leader Narayanaswamy as Leader of Opposition in Vidhana Parishad

It has been one week since the proceedings in the Vidhana Parishad commenced in Karnataka. The nomination for the position of the Leader of Opposition was not made. Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs) C.T Ravi and N. Ravikumar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were eyeing for the spot. The position was however given to Chalavadi Narayanaswamy belonging to the Dalit community by the BJP high command. 

Calculations have gone into this decision as pollsters indicated that the Indian National Congress (INC) had an advantage over the BJP among Dalit voters in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections in Karnataka. INC has also been faced with allegations of irregularities in the Valmiki Development Corporation. The BJP has alleged the INC of being anti-Dalit. Amidst these developments, the appointment of a Dalit leader for the position of the Leader of Opposition works in BJP’s favour politically. 

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C.T Ravi was the former National General Secretary of the BJP. He also functioned as a minister in the previous BJP government. Ravikumar and C.T R̥avi were nominated to the Vidhana Parishad without any elections. The BJP gave the position of the Leader of Opposition to R. Ashok who is a Vokkaliga in the Vidhana Sabha. Interestingly Naryanaswamy had left the INC for the BJP unlike C.T Ravi and Ravikumar who have always been associated with the latter.