Amit Shah August entry: BJP readies to replicate UP poll model in Karnataka

BJP national president Shah to visit Karnataka in early August The party is now tasked with zeroing in on candidates, ahead of his visit State unit is currently focusing on ‘Janasampark Abhiyaan’  

BJP national president Amit Shah who is on a whirlwind tour across all States, will spend three days in Karnataka in the first week of August. Shah will be in Karnataka between August 3 and 5, said BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday.

The state unit is yet to devise an action plan in view of his visit. As Shah is visiting all state capitals, Bengaluru will certainly be part of his itinerary. The party which is grappling continued infighting, is now tasked with zeroing in on candidates, ahead of Shah’s visit. Shah will have a final say on the selection of candidates. As per Yeddyurappa’s own admission there are three or more aspirants in each of the 224 constituencies.

However, before plunging in on this exercise, party leaders, under Yeddyurappa’s leadership will embark on a 36-day tour (Janasampark Abhiyaan) across the state, to ‘assess’ the drought conditions. The tour will start in Tumakuru on May 18 and end in Vijayapura on June 26. Yeddyurappa’s ‘drought’ tour has attracted much ridicule from the opposition Congress, which has dubbed the exercise as ‘belated’.

Party insiders said that preparations for Shah’s visit will be made only after the Janasampark Abhiyaan, and the party’s core committee meeting, subsequently. Shah who has earned the reputation as the ‘master strategist’, is presently in Lakshadweep as part of his 2019 poll caravan. His 95-day tour started in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP leader, who was credited with the party’s outstanding performance in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand states, is on a mission to recreate the same magic in all States, especially in those where the party is a fringe player. 

Party’s State general secretary C T Ravi told Asianet Newsable that Shah will replicate the readymade model in Karnataka also, during his visit. “He will interact with booth-level workers, hold public contact programmes, connect with core committee office bearers and elected representatives. Such an exercise has never before undertaken. His visit will strengthen the organisation and ensure committed leadership, which will have an indirect impact on the voter,” he added. Ravi also said that Shah’s team has divided the States into ‘big’ and ‘small’, depending on the size of which, he will spend anywhere between one to three days in each state.

“He is not discounting even the smallest of states or Union territories. For instance, he is currently in Lakshadweep, which has a majority of indigenous Muslim population,” added Ravi. Unlike most other states, in Karnataka, Shah will have the task of devising strategies for both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, which will be held in 2018 and 2019, respectively.