Karnataka BJP brainstorms to reap double-engine govt poll plank

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By Manish Anand

New Delhi, July 15: The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata party held its ‘Chintan Shivir (brainstorming session)’ in Bengaluru on Friday, with the party leaders and the state Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai chalking out strategies to launch the campaign for the Assembly elections.

The brainstorming session of the BJP essentially dealt on the possible ways to maximize the gains of the development agenda of the Narendra Modi-led Central and Bommai-headed Karnataka governments.

The state government and the party unit in Karnataka will work in closer cooperation, said a BJP functionary, who was privy to the deliberations held in the presence of the party’s national general secretary Arun Singh, who is also the state in-charge.

The state Chief Minister is likely to appoint heads of 54 boards, corporations, and district presidents of local bodies to induct fresh faces, including MLAs and MLCs, in the bid to gear the organization for the Assembly elections next year in April, sources said.

“This Chintan Shivir was held after the Rajya Sabha biennial elections and the MLC polls. There’s positive momentum going for the party on account of the extra seat win the Rajya Sabha. The party is now to gear up its workers at the polling booth, while a series of programmes have been discussed during the deliberations,” sources added.

Karnataka is key for the BJP’s ‘Mission South’, and the saffron outfit is likely to pour its full energy to block the Congress from coming to power in the state.

While Bommai is seen working on his pro-development image, Karnataka has in the recent months seen attempts to polarize with the text book and hijab rows.

Bommai, incidentally, will be completing one-year in the office later this month.

He had succeeded the BJP’s top Lingayata face and the former CM BS Yediyurappa, after the central leadership of the party eased him out of the office on the age criteria.

Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah in his last visit to Karnataka had sent out a loud message to the rank and file of the party to back Bommai in the Assembly elections by taking dinner at the residence of the Chief Minister, sources added.

“The BJP will be chalking out district wise strategies for the Assembly elections on the basis of the feedback gathered by the three teams during their tour of the state in the recent months,” added the sources.

Karnataka politically is seen to electorally a tough state for the BJP since the Congress and the JD (S) enjoy strong support bases in the state and they may strike post-poll tie up in the event of a fractured mandate.