New Delhi [India], February 4 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday appointed Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya as its co-incharge for the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.

Earlier in the day, the party announced the appointment of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan appointed as the incharge and Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai appointed as the co-incharge for the Karnataka election.

The Karnataka elections are likely to be held in April-May 2023.

"National President Jagat Prakash Nadda has appointed Dharmendra Pradhan, Education, Skill DevelopmentEntrepreneurship Minister, Government of India as election incharge for the forthcoming Assembly Elections of Karnataka State. Mansukh Mandaviya Minister of HealthFamily Welfare, Chemicals Fertilizers and K Annamalai, State President, Tamil Nadu have been appointed as eection co-incharge for the same. This appointment comes into immediate effect," the BJP said in a statement.

In January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Karnataka and undertook a roadshow in Hubli.

Last month, Nadda visited Karnataka to take stock of the election preparations, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Karnataka on February 11.

Shah will be visiting Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district to participate in a cooperative convention.

The party expects Shah to strengthen the party organization and resolve internal issues currently prevailing in the unit, so that the party is able to retain its power in the South-Indian state.

Earlier, Shah referred to Karnataka as the 'gateway to the south' through his public speeches.

Amit Shah had stressed that the BJP needs to strengthen its organization in the southern part of the country and said that Karnataka is the "gateway" to the South for the party.

Notably, Karnataka is the only southern state where the BJP is in power.

It is pertinent to mention that the party made a leadership change in July 2018, replacing the then-chief minister BS Yeddyurappa with Basavaraj Bommai.

Even though Yeddyurappa is no longer in power, former chief minister is the tallest Lingayat leader. Lingayats are the single largest community in Karnataka, account for nearly 17 per cent of the population, mostly in the north Karnataka region, and has traditionally voted for the BJP.He was recently appointed a member of the party's top organizational body--the parliamentary board.

The Karnataka Assembly elections are due in April-May to elect all 224 members of the Legislative Assembly. (ANI)