Close on the heels of the Opposition Congress building momentum for its poll preparations, the BJP is set to hold a State executive in Bengaluru on September 11 to finalise programmes to galvanise its cadre ahead of the next Assembly elections.
The executive, which will be held at Palace Grounds, will be attended by former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who has been elevated as member of the party’s highest decision-making body of Parliamentary Board, party national general secretary and State in charge Arun Singh, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, and State president Nalin Kumar Kateel. All Ministers, party MPs, legislators, and office-bearers will also take part.
The BJP is closely watching the apparent resurgence of the Congress, which is in an upbeat mood after an encouraging response to the convention held recently to mark the 75th birthday of its leader Siddaramaiah in Davangere and the Independence Day march taken out in Bengaluru.
In this backdrop, the Central leaders elevated Mr. Yediyurappa who has the onerous task of galvanising the cadre. The executive is being watched with curiosity as it is the first important meeting of the party leaders after the elevation of Mr. Yediyurappa.
Expected programmes
According to sources in the party, the executive is expected to finalise the schedule of a State tour being planned by the party’s two teams of leaders. While one team would be headed by Mr. Yediyurappa and Mr. Bommai, the other is likely to be led by Mr. Kateel and others. This is aimed at instilling confidence among the party cadre which has expressed anguish over its leaders in the wake of killings of party workers in recent times in Dakshina Kannada district.
Series of conventions
It is learnt that the BJP is also planning to hold State-level conventions of women, youth, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes in a bid to reach out to these sections ahead of the elections. The executive is expected to finalise the schedule of such proposed conventions.
In addition to these programmes, the executive is expected to take stock of various political developments, including the controversial episode of a person throwing egg on Mr. Siddaramaiah’s car during his visit to Kodagu and the political impact of counter campaign by the Congress.
BJP eyes 160 wards in BBMP
The ruling BJP has set a target of winning more than 160 wards in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palke, which will have a total of 243 wards.
The target was given to the party cadre at a meeting of BJP’s Bengaluru city office-bearers held in Bengaluru on Tuesday to review the preparations for BBMP polls, according to Higher Education Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan.
