India
Karnataka assembly polls: BJP unit plans for PM Modi to address around 20 rallies | Karnataka Election News
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NEW DELHI: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the party’s chief campaigner for the Karnataka assembly elections, the state party unit plans for at least 20-odd rallies to be addressed by him, according to party managers working on the schedule.
In fact, the last leg of the campaigning for the May 10 polls, that is from May 6 to 8, might have the PM camping in the state and focus on areas that are strongholds of rivals Congress and JDS, it is learnt.
With factional fights and high anti-incumbency against the ruling BJP government in the state, it is only Modi magic that can pull through a victory, feel party managers. According to party managers, the plan is to have at least three Modi rallies in each of the six regions that state has been divided into. Of these, some areas like Hyderabad-Karnataka (bordering Andhra Pradesh) which has about 40 assembly seats, may have more rallies by the PM. With Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the tallest leader from this region, BJP had won only 15 seats from here in the last assembly polls.
With the Bommai government also facing some corruption charges, the party’s campaign is likely to rest on Modi connecting directly with people, picking up local issues and local icons, without mentioning much of names of party leaders in the state. This was already witnessed in the seven rallies that Modi held at various places like Hubli, Madya etc recently, before the poll dates were announced. “This way he (PM) would not be seen as backing any single leader during the campaign,” say party insiders.
The state unit has even suggested that the party’s poll campaign, especially by Modi and other central leaders, while focussing on corruption, nepotism in the state, should not limit it to its rivals, but send out the message that the central leadership is ready to act against it even when it crops up within BJP.
However, former chief minister and the party’s veteran Lingayat leader in the state, B S Yediyurappa (BSY) who was replaced by Basavaraj Bommai in 2021, for his age (75-plus) will be the local face of the party’s campaign, beside Modi, even as he is not a chief ministerial candidate, this time.
That the party plans to declare the tickets at the last moment is also part of the strategy to beat anti-incumbency factors and more importantly factional feuds, say sources working on the ground.
In fact, the last leg of the campaigning for the May 10 polls, that is from May 6 to 8, might have the PM camping in the state and focus on areas that are strongholds of rivals Congress and JDS, it is learnt.
With factional fights and high anti-incumbency against the ruling BJP government in the state, it is only Modi magic that can pull through a victory, feel party managers. According to party managers, the plan is to have at least three Modi rallies in each of the six regions that state has been divided into. Of these, some areas like Hyderabad-Karnataka (bordering Andhra Pradesh) which has about 40 assembly seats, may have more rallies by the PM. With Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the tallest leader from this region, BJP had won only 15 seats from here in the last assembly polls.
With the Bommai government also facing some corruption charges, the party’s campaign is likely to rest on Modi connecting directly with people, picking up local issues and local icons, without mentioning much of names of party leaders in the state. This was already witnessed in the seven rallies that Modi held at various places like Hubli, Madya etc recently, before the poll dates were announced. “This way he (PM) would not be seen as backing any single leader during the campaign,” say party insiders.
The state unit has even suggested that the party’s poll campaign, especially by Modi and other central leaders, while focussing on corruption, nepotism in the state, should not limit it to its rivals, but send out the message that the central leadership is ready to act against it even when it crops up within BJP.
However, former chief minister and the party’s veteran Lingayat leader in the state, B S Yediyurappa (BSY) who was replaced by Basavaraj Bommai in 2021, for his age (75-plus) will be the local face of the party’s campaign, beside Modi, even as he is not a chief ministerial candidate, this time.
That the party plans to declare the tickets at the last moment is also part of the strategy to beat anti-incumbency factors and more importantly factional feuds, say sources working on the ground.
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