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Amit Shah to visit poll-bound Karnataka, kick off campaign in Mandya
Shah’s visit has significance amid the wait for the expansion or reshuffle of chief minister Basavaraj Bommai’s cabinet as well as the reservation demand by various communities in the state
With Assembly elections just a few months away, Union home minister Amit Shah will visit Karnataka on December 30 and 31, where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) aims to return to power. On Friday, Shah will launch the BJP’s campaign in Mandya as the party looks to make inroads into the Old Mysuru region.
Shah is slated to arrive in Bengaluru on Thursday evening. He will inaugurate a mega dairy in Mandya and address a public meeting there on December 30, said party officials aware of the minister’s schedule.
Later, Shah will return to Bengaluru for a cooperative convention scheduled at Palace Grounds in the city. A meeting with top party leaders of the state is also scheduled for Friday.
Shah will visit the Souharda Sahakari Foundation at Malleshwaram in Bengaluru, after which he is expected to attend BJP’s booth presidents and booth level agents’ convention at Palace Grounds on Saturday, before leaving for Delhi.
The Mandya district, dominated by Vokkaligas, is a stronghold of the Janata Dal (Secular). The core Old Mysuru region consists of nine districts, Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Chamarajanagar, Ramanagara, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru, accounting for 61 seats.
While JD(S) has kickstarted the Pancharatna Yatra, a road campaign across the Old Mysuru region from Mulabagilu in Kolar district and is confident of winning most segments, the BJP is also making efforts to bolster its base in this Vokkaliga stronghold.
“The top leaders are focusing on Karnataka well in advance. We need to strengthen the party in the Old Mysuru region. In the previous elections also, we did not do well here. The focus will be on those areas where we have to put more efforts to win more seats,” said BJP spokesperson S Prakash.
On Wednesday, BJP national general secretary CT Ravi said the party will give special focus to the Old Mysuru region, adding that winning more seats is necessary to get a majority.
“We cannot get a majority without winning the confidence of people in this region. So, while focusing on the entire state, we’ll give special focus to the Old Mysuru region,” he said.
Mandya district in-charge minister Gopalaiah reviewed the preparations for Shah’s visit and said 100,000 people are expected at the public meeting.
Cooperation minister ST Somashekhar said the rally will strengthen the BJP. “Mandya will not remain a bastion of the JD(S) and the Congress. They have already lost the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency,” he said.
Shah’s visit has significance amid the wait for the expansion or reshuffle of chief minister Basavaraj Bommai’s cabinet as well as the reservation demand by various communities in the state.
Bommai on Monday held talks with Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda regarding poll preparations, cabinet and reservation related issues.
The cabinet now has 28 ministers against the Constitution-permitted strength of 34. There were some reports of possible cabinet expansion by filling in six vacant posts or a rejig by dropping a few ministers and inducting an equal number of new ones.
Shah also has to deal with the party’s patriarch in the state, B S Yediyurappa, the former chief minister, who is reportedly being sidelined by the BJP. However, Yediyurappa recently said he has his own strengths and no one could finish him off politically.
When asked whether Shah will hold meetings with Yediyurappa, a BJP leader said, “He will meet all the top leaders. Nothing exclusive will be held.”
