After Surjewala, BJP’s Pradhan, Mansukh to stay in Bengaluru

Former union finance minister, Arun Jaitley had stayed in Bengaluru and Hubballi during the 2008 Assembly polls which paid off

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: Month's after AICC General Secretary & In-Charge of Karnataka Affairs, Randeep Singh Surjewala took a house on rent in Bengaluru to supervise the forthcoming Assembly polls, two Union Ministers of the BJP are now reportedly searching for houses in the state capital to camp here till the elections are over.

Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education and Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizers have been directed to stay back in Bengaluru and supervise the Assembly polls.

The current Union Home Minister and the chief poll strategist of BJP Amit Shah had taken a six-room house on rent in the 2018 Assembly elections which helped the saffron party emerge as the single largest party in the Assembly.

The trend of Delhi leaders staying in poll-bound states is not new. Former union finance minister, Arun Jaitley had stayed in Bengaluru and Hubballi during the 2008 Assembly polls which paid off with the BJP led by B.S.Yediyurappa forming the government for the first time in South India.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai confirmed that Pradhan and Mandaviya will stay in Bengaluru till the Assembly polls are over to help in organizing election campaigns and coordinate with the BJP top brass. Once the poll code comes into existence, leaders are barred from staying in government guest houses.