After Gram Panchayats, Karnataka BJP preps for Taluk and Zilla Panchayat polls

Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa said that after its ‘spectacular performance’ in the recently held Gram Panchayat polls, the party would focus on winning a majority in the Taluk and Zilla Panchayat polls to be held shortly. Yediyurappa was speaking at the BJP’s special two-day core committee and executive committee meeting held at his native district of Shivamogga.

The BJP leader also said the party would focus on winning the by-polls to Maski and Basva Kalyan assembly seats plus the Belagavi Lok Sabha constituency, the elections to which are likely to be held shortly. Promising to bring the BJP back to power with ‘140 to 150 seats’ in the next assembly polls due in 2023, Yediyurappa said to do that he would undertake a statewide tour to strengthen the party.

As a part of its outreach to the electorate starting January 11, the CM and other party leaders will hold ‘Jan Sevak’ conventions across all the districts in the state. Yediyurappa will kickstart this programme from Mysuru in which the party would convey the work being done by the Centre and the state government to the electorate. Union home minister Amit Shah will participate in a ‘Jan Sevak’ event to be held in Bengaluru on January 16 or 17.

BJP national general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh speaking to the media during the event said that there was no question of a change in leadership in the state. In light of speculation that the 77-year-old Yediyurappa maybe replaced as CM, Singh said that there was no such plan. He also deflected a question on cabinet expansion and reshuffle saying that it was the prerogative of the CM. Yediyurappa has visited Delhi several times seeking permission from the party high command for cabinet expansion.

Earlier, Karnataka BJP unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel praised the CM for passing an anti-cow slaughter ordinance and said that in the next session a bill against ‘love-jihad’ would also be passed. Union ministers Prahalad Joshi and D V Sadananada Gowda also took part in the deliberations. Gowda who briefly took ill while coming back from Shivamogga to Bengaluru and was rushed to a hospital. He later tweeted saying that he was well and that it was just a case of low-sugar. He is likely to be discharged from the hospital on Monday.

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