BJP gets into poll mode, eyes 22 seats

After making an unsuccessful bid to topple the government in the last few months, the state unit of the BJP has decided to shift its focus on the Lok Sabha elections.

With the aim of winning the highest number of seats in the elections, the party has planned various campaign activities, including workers’ meets and public rallies from February 21 to March 19.

The party’s national chief Amit Shah will kickstart the ‘Modi Vijay Sankalp Yatra’ in Karnataka on February 21. He is slated to inaugurate a massive rally at Devanahalli (Chikkaballapur), which is a Congress bastion. The Chikkaballapur Lok Sabha constituency is presently represented by senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily. The BJP is likely to field former minister B N Bache Gowda from this constituency to take on Moily.

BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa will launch his statewide tour from Humnabad in Bidar on February 22. He will be accompanied by other leaders, including Union Minister Parshottam Rupala.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address another big rally at Gulbarga, which is represented by Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge. It is widely rumoured that the BJP might field disgruntled Congress MLA Umesh Jadhav opposite Kharge. He had made himself scarce along with three other rebel Congress MLAs, thereby attracting strict action. Speculations are rife that the BJP, in the presence of Modi, might announce Jadhav as its Gulbarga candidate.

Modi is also likely to participate in three other rallies, including one in Bengaluru. Addressing the media, Yeddyurappa said that his party was certain of winning 22 seats in the elections.

Yeddyurappa said, “The party has already started work in this direction. By touring the drought-hit districts, we have already highlighted the government’s shortcomings,” he said.

Yeddyurappa said that as the number of aspirants vying for tickets was more, the party would identify potential candidates during the Modi Vijay Sankalp Yatra and give them the tickets. “All MPs have performed well. There is no anti-incumbency in any of the BJP constituencies. The Central leaders will take the final call,” he added.