Yellapur MLA Shivaram Hebbar, Yeshvantpur MLA ST Somashekar, and former MLAs Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, V Somanna, and MP Renukacharya were among the prominent absentees at the party meeting. The party had invited all 224 candidates it fielded in the May 10 assembly polls, as well as party veterans. BJP leaders, including BS Yediyurappa and MLAs from Shivamogga district, excused themselves as they took the inaugural flight from Bengaluru to Shivamogga. Former CM Basavaraj Bommai and BJP state unit president Nalinkumar Kateel were also absent, with the former recovering from an eye procedure and the latter preoccupied with Narayana Jayanthi celebrations in Dakshina Kannada. The meeting aimed to discuss the enrollment of new voters as part of the party’s preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. MLAs Somashekar and Hebbar have been keeping away from the party since the May drubbing, being previously aligned with the Congress and being among the 17 MLAs who crossed over to the BJP in 2019 to help form the government. MLAs like Somanna, who contested for two seats, have been disappointed with the party for not giving him any organizational responsibilities now that he is free. Additionally, there are a few other BJP MLAs who maintain cordial relations with the Congress. In his address, Santhosh requested party leaders to stop referring to the 17 defectors derisively as Bombay Boys and tried to reach out to them. The BJP is yet to name a new president for the state unit and the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, which has left grassroots workers unable to face voters. Reports have suggested that the Congress is attempting to attract BJP leaders into the party. The Congress took this opportunity to criticize the BJP, stating that the party should have called the meeting to elect the Leader of the Opposition or name a new president for the state unit. For more details, click on the link above.