Bengaluru: To narrow the gap with rival Congress among major communities, Karnataka BJP is on a mission to identify and nurture young members with leadership skills from underrepresented groups ahead of zilla and taluk panchayat elections.The party’s aim is not only to gain ground at the local level but also lay the foundation for the 2028 assembly elections.BJP, which held statewide protest campaigns like Janaakrosha Yatre and Mysore Chalo, has acknowledged the lack of prominent community functionaries — a weakness that has limited its ability to counter chief minister Siddaramaiah’s clout among OBCs, deputy CM DK Shivakumar’s grip on Vokkaligas, and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s influence over Scheduled Castes.This leadership vacuum was felt most acutely in the 2023 assembly elections when the party failed to win any of the 15 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes, while Congress, aided by experienced hands like Satish Jarkiholi, secured 14.BJP is now initiating a grassroots exercise to identify and train emerging functionaries from OBC, Vokkaliga, and Dalit communities. The move includes an outreach to minorities through initiatives such as the ‘Waqf Sudhar Janajagruti Abhiyan’, aimed at educating people on the benefits of the amended Waqf Act.“We have no dearth of people with leadership abilities, but the need of the hour is to unearth new faces from all communities and infuse fresh blood in the party,” said Pongulati Sudhakar Reddy, BJP state secretary and co-in-charge of Karnataka. “We plan to hold a state-wide outreach programme to spread awareness about the central govt’s new initiatives. Through this programme, we aim to nurture a new generation of functionaries.“While its traditional Lingayat vote base is expected to hold steady with BY Vijayendra as state president, brass concede that securing broader community support is crucial to challenge governing Congress. To this end, the high command has directed the state unit to intensify efforts among key communities. A plan is also being formulated to use data from the national caste census to shape future outreach programmes.Local brass said implementation will begin once the state president is finalised, perhaps in early June.“The process to finalise the president’s appointment was postponed because of the Pahalgam terror attack,” said N Ravikumar, BJP chief whip in the legislative council. “It is expected to resume soon as India has successfully smashed terror bases through Operation Sindoor. Since we have already met representatives of OBCs, an extensive tour programme led by Vijayendra is being planned.”The campaign is already underway at the local level, with BJP’s district units reporting positive signs. “In Haveri for instance, we reached out to youngsters of all communities including Lingayats, OBCs and Dalits with former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and district president Arunkumar Poojar leading from the front,” said Rajashekhar Kattegiudar, BJP vice-president of Haveri district.