BJP to rope in Modi to win over middle class voters

The State BJP is banking on the ‘magic’ of Narendra Modi to boost its prospects in the May 5 Assembly polls. While the party is yet to finalise its campaign strategy, sources in the BJP said the Gujarat Chief Minister will be invited for a series of whirlwind campaign tours across the State.

Modi will also be addressing several rallies in key constituencies where the BJP needs a push to overcome the stiff competition from its opponents, the sources said. The party wants to tap the admiration that Modi draws especially among the middle class voters. Modi’s name will figure on the top of the BJP’s list of 50 star campaigners it will be submitting to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

A senior leader pointed out that Modi’s leadership qualities transcends caste and linguistic barriers.

However, it will be a litmus test for Modi, whose entry into national politics is just a matter of time, whether he can convince those outside Gujarat to vote for his party. Senior BJP leaders L K Advani, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj will be among the star campaigners.

On the day ECI announced the election date, the State BJP put a united show patting itself for its government having completed its term.

All the top leaders of the State BJP – Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, his predecessor D V Sadananda Gowda, party state president K S Eshwarappa and Deputy Chief Minister R Asoka shared the dais to brief the media.

To a query, Eshwarappa said the BJP will soon decide on other tainted legislators including S N Krishnaiah Setty, Y Sampangi and Katta Subramanya Naidu. The BJP central leadership would announce the name of the party State unit president in a couple of days.

The State BJP Election Committee will be meeting on March 23 to prepare its first list of candidates for approval by the party central leadership, Shettar said.

According to BJP sources, the first list would contain 150 names and most of them would be sitting MLAs. The party on Wednesday announced the constitution of its election manifesto committee. The committee will be headed by MP from Bangalore North D B Chandre Gowda. To a query, Shettar ruled out any pre-poll tie-up with the B Sriramulu’s BSR Congress.

Rally from tomorrow

The BJP will launch its ‘Vijaya Sankalpa Yatre’ in Mysore on Friday morning, with Shettar, Eshwarappa and Sadananda Gowda offering pooja to Goddess Chamundeshwari.

Nirani to join KJP

The BJP is observing the next move of some of the fence-sitters, who have been tilting either towards the Congress or the KJP.

It is speculated that a couple of legislators including Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani would be joining the KJP this week. It is learnt that Nirani has already informed Shettar about his decision. Another Yeddyurappa loyalist M P Renukacharya on Wednesday said he would not quit the BJP. Some ministers, including Basavaraj Bommai and B N Bache Gowda, are understood to have been in touch with the Congress.