BJP starts surveying winnability of candidates ahead of Karnataka Assembly polls

The BJP is gearing up for the next assembly election in Karnataka and has started surveying for the winnability of candidates in each constituency.

The party's Delhi office has already sent three teams to the state to study all its sitting MLAs' popularity among public and individual anti-incumbency. Since the party is planning to replace 40 to 50 existing MLAs to overcome anti-incumbency, the survey will also determine who should be a possible alternative candidate in each constituency, sources in the party told DH.

The central leaders are firm in their plan not to give tickets to senior MLAs especially who have crossed 70 years. Besides, they are not in favour of fielding candidates who have lost in the last Assembly elections, sources said.

The survey will also cover how many times sitting MLAs visited the party office, held block level programmes to strengthen the organisation and met workers during visits to blocks.

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Apart from this, the party will also constitute three committees comprising nine senior leaders in each panel. This panel will tour all the districts and take views from party workers about the performance of the government and sitting MLAs' activities. Taking views from both the survey, the party will finalise the candidates, sources said.

"The party top brass is also keen to implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan on not giving tickets to children or family members of party leaders. The saffron party, which refused to field several sitting MPs and MLAs in the recently-held Uttar Pradesh elections, is working on to adopt the same system in Karnataka also, sources said.

“The party top brass are aware that the state government is facing strong anti-incumbency. To overcome this, the party leaders may ask the CM to take steps to give impetus to the governance and implement schemes announced in the budget at the earliest,” a leader said.

"In the state executive committee meeting, scheduled to be held on April 16 and 17, BJP National president J P Nadda will send a message to state leaders about the PM's strong message of not canvassing for party tickets for their kin," said the leader.

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