Shah eyes JD(S) bastion to achieve 150 target in polls

By Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: With the BJP setting a 150 seat target for the 2023 Assembly elections, Union Home Minister and the ‘Chanakya’ of the party, Amit Shah has given a free hand to state leaders to poach at least five MLAs each from the Congress and JD(S)in the old Mysuru region where the BJP is considered weak.

As many as 84 Assembly seats of the total 224 are from South Karnataka and the BJP is trying to win the maximum number of seats from this region for which it needs strong leaders of the other two parties, Congress and JD(S). It sources are to be believed, around 10 leaders including a sitting MLA, a former MP and eight others have been convinced to join the saffron party and have been promised berths if the BJP comes to power in 2023.

Shah is also planning to have a mega convention in Mandya region during the last week of May for the induction of these ten leaders into the BJP and launch a campaign for the assembly polls. These leaders are likely to meet the BJP top brass in Delhi for a formal discussion before joining the party.

The BJP knows quite well that it has not been able to come to power on its own in previous polls and had to resort to ‘Operation Kamala’ to get the minimum number of seats to form the government. It was Op Kamala which came to its rescue both in 2008 and 2019 and so the party is making all efforts to cross the magical number of 113 seats on its own this time.

During his recent visit to Karnataka, Shah reportedly asked state leaders to prepare a list of probable candidates at least six months in advance so that the party would be able to select winnable candidates. They could be retired bureaucrats and persons who have a good reputation in social and academic fields. The idea behind ias to woo such personalities before the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) does so.

A former MP too is said to be unhappy with the ‘bias’ in the Congress and wants to jump ship before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The party is also scouting for independent candidates who had given a tough fight to candidates of recognised political parties in last one or two Assembly elections. Such candidates would also enjoy a sympathy wave.

A few sitting JD(S) MLAs of Mandya are ready to quit the party since they see no future for themselves in the coming Assembly polls with the Congress and BJP expected to fight for the honours. The BJP is also scouting for such candidates who are reluctant to contest on the JD(S) ticket fearing defeat.