The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday chose R Ashok as the Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly during its legislative party meeting in Bengaluru. The seven-time BJP MLA, Ashok was the deputy chief minister of the state during the BJP government from July 2012 to May 2013, reported PTI.
Following his appointment, Ashoka said that he has been given the task to give “good performance” in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
"My party, PM Modi, Amit Shah, Nadda, General Secretary Santhosh and all our MLAs today elected me as LoP of Karnataka Assembly,” he said while speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, adding: “BJP high command has given us the task to win all 28 parliamentary constituencies in the Lok Sabha elections.”
Targeting the ruling Congress in the state, Ashoka said that the party “has done nothing for the poor and farmers in the last 6 months, they're infighting, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar are fighting over the CM post."
Among the leaders present at the legislature party meeting, where Ashok was picked as its leader was attended by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, BJP National General Secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam, BJP state unit President B Y Vijayendra, and former chief ministers B S Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai.
Bommai said that the decision to choose Asoka was unanimous. “He is a senior leader. I congratulate him. I am very happy," said the senior BJP leader while speaking to reporters after the meeting.
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Ashoka had the opportunity to work as a minister in the cabinet of five chief ministers of the state holding various profiles such as home, revenue, municipal administration, transport and health and family welfare.
He is a prominent face from the state’s dominant Vokkaliga community especially spread in the southern parts of Karnataka such as Bengaluru, Chikkaballapura, Mysuru, Mandya, Chamarajanagar, Ramanagara, Kolar, Tumakuru, and Chikkamagaluru.