BJP central observers in B'luru for legislature meeting to finalise LOP

BJP's central observers -- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and party's national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam -- arrived in Bengaluru on Friday for the BJP Legislature Party meeting this evening where the Leader of Opposition in the assembly is slated to be chosen.

The newly appointed BJP state president B Y Vijayendra, son of party veteran B S Yediyurappa, received Sitharaman, a Rajya Sabha member from the State, and Kumar at the airport.

Senior BJP MLA and former Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka on Thursday said he along with four to five other legislators are aspirants for the post.

Ashoka, V Sunil Kumar, C N Ashwath Narayan and Araga Jnanendra are among the front-runners for the position, according to some reports.

The BJP central leadership made the announcement on the appointment of Vijayendra last week.

The BJP is the principal opposition party in the state.

The previous assembly session in July was held without the Leader of the Opposition.

In the elections to the 224-member assembly held in May this year, the Congress ousted the BJP from power with a landslide victory. The Congress got 135 seats, the BJP 66 and the JD(S) 19.

The BJP legislature party meeting to pick its new leader, who would go on to become the Leader of Opposition, is taking place ahead of the winter session of the state legislature in Belagavi, from December 4.

The party had been facing intense criticism from the ruling Congress for its inability to make the appointment to the post, and there was also some disgruntlement within the party over the delay.