BJP expects to gain from Yogi’s persona
After sparring with his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah on twitter during his previous visit, Uttar Pradesh (UP) chief minister Yogi Adityanath is set for his biggest campaign in the poll-bound state where the BJP has lined up nearly 35 rallies and road shows for him.
Party leaders said Adityanath’s twin identity of a ‘monkpolitician’ would come in handy for the BJP. The campaign is expected to take off from the first week of May.
The campaign, spread across six days is expected to be carried out in two phases said the leaders cited above.
In between his rallies and road shows, Adityanath is also expected to visit temples and mutts as the BJP looks to play the Hindutva card in a state where it is anxious to reclaim power.
In December, while addressing
LUCKNOW:
a Parivartan Yatra rally in Hubbali Adityanath had stoked passions by asking people to choose between Hanuman Jayanti or Tipu Jayanti; the remark aimed at questioning Congress’ twoyear-old decision to commemorate the birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan, the 18th century ruler who hailed from the region.
Ahead of Adityanath’s ’s visit to the poll-bound state that votes on May 12, a Congress leader has queered the pitch by making derogatory remarks to Adityanath.
With CM Siddaramaiah filing his nomination from Badami, apart from Chamundeshwari, it is clear that he will be contesting two seats. Since R Gundu Rao, the then Congress CM, was defeated in a giant-slaying act by Janata Party’s Jeevanjaya in 1983 from Sowmarapet, senior politicians have tried not to take chances.
Siddaramaiah is not the first CM to contest two seats. Two other former CMs of Karnataka, HD Deve Gowda and S Bangarappa have fought from two constituencies at the same time. In fact Deve Gowda has done it twice. In 1985, Deve Gowda fought from Holenarasipura and Sathanur. He won from both constituencies. Howeverm when Deve Gowda repeated this by contesting again from both seats in 1989, he was defeated in both. In 2008, Karnataka’s 12th CM, Bangarappa contested from both Soraba and Shikaripura. While he won Soraba handsomely, he was defeated in Shikaripura by B S Yeddyurappa. The Janata Dal(Secular) CM nominee HD Kumaraswamy is also contesting from seats, Channapatna and Ramnagara.