Ambaraya Ashtagi, a BJP leader and former Zilla Panchayat president, has been appointed as the State vice-president of BJP SC Morcha. Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, State president of the organisation, communicated the appointment to Mr. Ashtagi in a letter late on Friday.
Mr. Ashtagi, a prominent Dalit leader from the Kalyana Karnataka region, had worked in the Congress for nearly two decades before joining the BJP in May 2018. He was identified as one of the confidants of Congress veteran M. Mallikarjun Kharge. After joining the BJP, he was appointed as the Kalaburagi (Rural) district vice-president of the party.
Mr. Ashtagi’s appointment as the State vice-president of SC Morcha is widely viewed as BJP’s strategy to use Mr. Ashtagi’s organisational skills for strengthening the party in the region, particularly for attracting Dalit votes the imminent by-elections for Basavakalyan, Maski and Sindagi Assembly segments and Belagavi Lok Sabha constituency.
