Modi to provide last minute blitz to BJP’s Karnataka election campaign
Beginning Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address 15 rallies in five days across Karnataka ahead of assembly elections on May 12, underlining the importance of the poll outcome to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in power at the Centre.
Modi will be in Karnataka on May 1, 3, 5, 7 and 8, addressing three rallies a day.
BJP spokesperson S Prakash said, “PM’s entry is like (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni going into bat in the crucial few last overs of a match. His mere presence will make a difference. Given his huge personal appeal, we fully expect to get a boost to our campaign.”
With most pre-poll surveys indicating either a hung assembly or a slim majority for the ruling Congress in the state, the BJP is be hoping that the PM’s popularity will help it get closer to the halfway mark of 113 seats in the 224-member assembly.
Modi will address a rally at Santhemarahalli in Chamarajanagar on Tuesday morning. He will then take a chopper to the coastal district of Udupi to address a meet and then to North Karnataka where he will address another rally at Chikkodi in Belgaum district at 6pm, before flying back later in the night to Delhi.
The outcome of the Karnataka election is key for two reasons. One, Karnataka is now one of only two big states (apart from Punjab) where the Congress is in power and a win there could see a resurgence in the party. Second, the results could likely set the tone for the other upcoming assembly contests in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, before the general elections in 2019.
Modi has not been to pollbound Karnataka in the last two months. He had addressed an election rally in Davangere on February 27. The Congress had taunted the BJP over Modi’s absence from the campaign, saying he was fearing defeat.
BENGALURU:
MODI WAVE TO HELP BJP WIN: BS YEDDYURAPPA
Riding on a ‘Modi wave’, the BJP will form the next government in Karnataka with absolute majority, its chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa said Monday, and ruled out a post-poll alliance with the JD(S) “as of now”.
Yeddyurappa, a Lingayat strongman, said the issue of religious minority status for the community would not hurt the electoral prospects of the saffron party and instead “backfire” on the ruling Congress. Incidentally, he himself supported the demand for religious minority status for Lingayats when he headed the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) that he had formed after breaking away from the BJP.
Asked if the BJP’s alleged “communal politics” would work for it, Yeddyurappa said, “There is no such thing out there. Congress is spreading lies. There is only Modi wave and we are going to sweep not only the coastal region but the entire state.” meet the influx. We expect footfall to double this season,” state tourism director P Balakiran said.
Many resorts are flaunting “houseful” boards for the three-month season starting July. A tour operator in Devikulam said maximum foreign bookings are from the UK.
Nature lovers want some restrictions to save the flowers from the tourist rush. “The Nilgiris’ fragile biosphere is in danger. We can’t see arrangements to tackle such an influx of tourists. We have to maintain the glory of kurinji at least for the next generation,” said G Rajkumar, an activist with Save Kurinji Campaign Community, an NGO working for the flower’s conservation for the past 40 years.