Ruling BJP plans series of rallies to woo voters for 2023 Assembly polls

Shyam Sundar Vattam I NT

Bengaluru: With less than six months left for the crucial Assembly polls, the ruling BJP whihc is in a buoyant mood after recommending the hike in quota for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, is holding big conventions in Ballari and Mysuru this month.

According to the itinerary, the Scheduled Tribe Morcha convention is scheduled to be held on November 20 and the Scheduled Caste Morcha’s mammoth rally in Mysuru on November 30. The other rallies which are in the pipeline are a Women’s rally, rallies of Veerashaivas/lLngayats, Vokkaligas, Billavas/Idigas and other communities which are concentrated in particular districts.

Meanwhile, the customary ten-day winter session will be held at Belagavi Suvarna Soudha to get the ordinance promulgated by the state government to increase reservation for SC/ ST communities as per the recommendation of Justice Nagamohan Das Commission and other important bills aimed at attracting voters to the saffron party.

The state government is keen on the session to escape the tag of being anti-north Karnataka. In fact, the ruling BJP had been under fire for not holding a joint session of the Legislature in Belagavi fearing protest by farmers, particularly sugarcane growers.

The Congress Party has already completed one round of community based conventions in various parts of the State and is concentrating on holding a rath yatra to cover all the 224 Assembly constituencies. On the other hand, the ruling BJP is heavily banking on the support of the SC/ST voters because it has hiked reservation for them.

Apart from these two major communities, the BJP is as usual, expects Lingayats/ Veerashaivas to support them. In order to gain their support, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is learnt to have told the Permanent Backward Classes Commission to submit a report on the inclusion of Panchamasali community in the 2A category in view of pressure from Sri Jaya Mruthyunjaya Swami of Panchamasali Peeta, Koodalasangama, and Vijayapura City MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal.

The CM knows well that his government cannot take the Panchamasali community lightly since it is very powerful in the North Karnataka region. A top BJP leader told News Trail that the next six months will be very crucial for the party and it wants to hold the maximum number of rallies of all small, microscopic and major communities.