BJP gears up for bypolls in 17 constituencies

The Nalin Kumar Kateel-led BJP has sounded the poll bugle as the party’s core committee resolved on Friday to start preparing for bypolls that may be held to 17 Assembly constituencies where incumbent MLAs have been disqualified.

Fourteen Congress and three JD(S) MLAs, who had tendered resignation, were disqualified in July by the then Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar.

"The MLAs have waged a legal battle against their disqualification. Regardless of who among them joins the BJP or not, we have decided to work towards ensuring the party wins in these 17 constituencies," BJP leader Aravind Limbavali said after the core committee meeting.

The Congress and the JD(S) have already started preparing for the bypolls.

The party also decided to start preparing for the June 2020 Legislative Council elections. "Elections will be held for four seats in the Council. Enrolment of voters for these elections will start in October," Limbavali said.

The core committee meeting was the first to be held after the BJP formed the government. It was also the first for Kateel as the state BJP president. The meeting discussed ways in which the party and the government can coordinate to ensure both are on the same page. But Revenue Minister R Ashoka, who is sulking over being sidelined, was conspicuous by his absence in the core committee meet.

‘One lakh members’

The BJP core committee has decided to resume its membership drive on September 8. "We have targeted enrolling two persons in every booth, thereby enrolling one lakh persons across the state,” Limbavali said. After this, the process of constituting booth and mandal committees will start, for which Kateel will tour districts on September 9 and 10.