BENGALURU: In line with the party’s stand that it has no time to lose and that it is always in election mode, BJP will begin preparations for next year’s assembly polls in Karnataka on Tuesday with a statewide tour.
The three teams will undertake a 15-day (from April 12 to 24) tour, aimed at preparing the ground and strengthening the party at the grassroots level. Each team will visit districts in different regions of the state.
While Arun Singh, BJP national secretary in charge of Karnataka, will lead one team that will tour north Karnataka districts, state party president Nalin Kumar Kateel and chief minister Basavaraj Bommai will lead the other two. They will tour south Karnataka and the coastal districts respectively. Former CM and party veteran BS Yediyurappa will be part of Singh’s team.
The teams will comprise ministers, MLAs and senior party functionaries including BJP national general secretary CT Ravi and former chief ministers Sadananda Gowda and Jagdish Shettar among others. BJP president JP Nadda may also spend a couple of days in the state, sources said.
“We intend to connect with cadres and enthuse them ahead of polls,” Singh said. “We will also resolve internal differences, if any, by holding meetings. We also want to assess the situation on the ground and find ways to improve it. The plan is to get party cadres to spread the word on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s good works and public welfare policies at the village-level and strengthen the party. ”
The teams will spend at least two days in different areas. Yediyurappa said the aim of the tour is to strengthen the party, discuss issues with party workers and draw up strategies for the polls. “Such tours will continue. . . Three teams will travel in the first phase,” he said.
Amit Shah, Union home minister, during his visit to the state earlier this month, had set the party a target of winning 150 of the total 225 seats in the 2023 elections.
