Karnataka no doubt has a special place in the heart of the BJP  high command as it is the first southern state where a BJP government came to power. The party was claimed to be a party with a difference which will provide an administration with a difference.

And indeed it was an administration with a difference, with the state rocked by a series of scandals and scams involving the BJP ministers and leaders denting Karnataka image for ever and also damaging the party’s image beyond repair.

The stepping down of Yeddyurappa was thought to herald a new era in the history of the BJP government in the state.  When the ever smiling DV Sadananda Gowda rose to power  nearly 11 months ago, there were high expectations from him and he had tried to provide a corruption free administration free from scams or scandals.  But, what ultimately led to his downfall ? No doubt, it is the caste politics that is reigning supreme in the BJP.

The High Command has finally yielded to the pressure tactics of the Yeddyurappa camp and  moreover the party is more interested in garnering Lingayat votes and has chosen a Lingayat leader itself as the  next chief minister.

No doubt the BJP has succumbed  to caste politics and has victimized a chief minister who has won the commendation not only of his party men but almost all leaders irrespective of party affiliations.

Today there is a wave of sympathy in favour of DVS who has been loved and adored by all as a chief minister. What would have the BJP lost had it continued him as the CM for the rest of the tenure? The only weak point of the high command has been to bow to the pressure tactics of Yeddyurappa now and then. The present situation would not have arisen had the high command initiated disciplinary action against Yeddy long back.

There should be no hope that the dislodging of Sadananda Gowda and making Shettar as the CM of the state would help the party regain its lost image. The  latest image has much more damaged the party image.