News India Xtra@newsIndiaxtraBY Vijayendra's three-year term as Karnataka BJP chief has ended, and the party's central leaders are weighing whether his successor should be a Lingayat.
Names being discussed include Sunil Kumar, Shobha Karandlaje, Tejasvi Surya and CN Ashwath Narayan. Lingayats, about 15 to 17 per cent of the state's population, have long been the party's core support.
Past non-Lingayat chiefs have produced uneven outcomes. If one is picked, a Lingayat is expected to become leader of the opposition, with Aravind Bellad being considered.
