Bengaluru, July 1 (IANS) Union Minister of State (MoS) for Jal Shakti and Railways, V. Somanna, said on Wednesday that he remains a “disciplined soldier” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and would abide by any decision taken by the party’s high command, amid speculation over the appointment of the next Karnataka BJP President.

After cross-voting by BJP MLAs in the recently concluded State Legislative Council election, strong rumours are being spread over replacement of State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra.

BJP insiders said that the national leadership is considering the candidature of Union Minister of State Somanna for the post.

Party insiders also added that MoS Somanna has met BJP President Nitin Nabin in this regard.

MoS Somanna hails from the Lingayat community and the BJP thinks that he is the right candidate to replace Vijayendra.

MoS Somanna is on good terms with former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh.

Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, MoS Somanna said he has always complied with the party leadership’s directions, recalling how he was asked to contest against the former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah from the Varuna Assembly constituency during the 2023 Assembly elections.

“I am a disciplined soldier of the party. The party directed me, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah came to my residence and asked me to contest from Varuna Assembly seat against former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. I accepted the decision and contested. Later, many things transpired, and I was then asked to move to Tumakuru to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election,” he added.

Referring to his victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, MoS Somanna said the people of Tumakuru elected him with a winning margin of 1.70 lakh votes, compared to the earlier trend where electoral victories in the constituency were often decided by margins of only 5,000 to 6,000 votes.

“I have imbibed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of development over the last two years and have been discharging my responsibilities accordingly. Whatever message or responsibility the party high command, national leadership or state leadership entrusts to me, I will remain committed to it,” he added.

“I will abide by the decision of the party high command,” MoS Somanna reiterated.

Speaking about his role in the Union government, the MoS said he has been working extensively across the country as part of the Narendra Modi-led Central government.

“I am a Union Minister in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government and I am working with agility. In the past two years, I have visited 22 states, travelled thousands of kilometres, and understood the aspirations, lifestyles and sentiments of people across the country,” he added.

MoS Somanna credited the Narendra Modi-led Central government with significantly reducing poverty in India.

“Earlier, around 25 crore families were living below the poverty line. Today, that number has come down to just three to four per cent. Every state has its own language, caste composition and traditions, but despite these diversities, the Prime Minister (Modi) has demonstrated that poverty can be addressed by overcoming all barriers. I draw inspiration from his daily work,” he said.

Expressing confidence in the Union government’s vision, MoS Somanna said India is on course to eradicate poverty while simultaneously progressing towards greater development.

“After witnessing his work, I am confident that this country will eliminate poverty and continue on the path of progress,” he added.

Five-time MLA V. Somanna was brought into the BJP by former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa. He is regarded as one of the few leaders to have won elections from constituencies without relying on a significant vote base from his own community.

Being a Lingayat, Somanna secured successive victories from Vokkaliga-dominated constituencies in Bengaluru.

After joining the BJP, he lost an Assembly election.

However, Yediyurappa inducted Somanna into the Karnataka Cabinet.

Somanna remained with the BJP even after Yediyurappa quit the party to float the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP).

–IANS

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