The BJP is running a series of ‘parivartan yatras’ in Karnataka, and getting feedback on its strengths and weaknesses in each part of the Congress-ruled state.
New Delhi: After the elections in Gujarat which are due next month, Karnataka is the next big focus for the BJP as it is due to go to the polls in mid-2018. The BJP is organising a series of ‘parivartan yatras’ which it sees as crucial to its strategy to wrest power from the Congress.
The yatras, which started in November and will continue until 28 January, are not just a show of strength. For senior leaders, the yatras are also a tool to assess the party’s strengths and weaknesses.
“We get feedback from each yatra on the state of the party, highlights of the speech, and post-yatra impact on the ground and in the media,” a senior party leader involved in Karnataka affairs of the party told ThePrint.
Based on feedback, the BJP has arrived at three conclusions:
– That there is tremendous support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi;
– The party has an image of ‘good governance’;
– And most importantly, its state unit chief B.S. Yeddyurappa is the most popular leader in Karnataka, across party lines.
‘People are angry’
Union minister for human resource development, Prakash Javadekar, believes Karnataka will not deliver a hung assembly this time. He said the atmosphere was favourable for the BJP, and people were angry with what he said was the inefficiency of the Siddaramaiah government.
“The Siddaramaiah government is inefficient in every aspect of governance. There is corruption in every deal. Karnataka is a state that has many entrepreneurs, but no growth for them. Many central schemes are not implemented in the state,” Javadekar told ThePrint.
“Therefore, people are angry. Two police officers have been killed. The CM is not addressing real issues. The Congress’s policy is to divide people. We are evoking a response, and we are getting support even in Congress bastions,” he added.
Other BJP leaders are confident that the groundwork started by the party will yield results.